•

GREAT PHYSICIAN'S WARNING: The use of this

lesson quarterly may be hazardous to your continu-

ing current lifestyle. Prolonged use may even lead

to death to ielf. DO NOT USE IT

.UNLESS YOU ARE

WILLING TO ACCEPT THE HAZARDS

FREEDOM

That's what the

Easy English

edition of the adult Sabbath School

quarterly is all about.

Written in concise, easy-to-read language, the

Easy English

edition

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not English. Even the theology is written in an easy-to-understand

manner.

Printed in larger-than-normal type, the

Easy English

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The

Easy English

edition isn't for everybody, but it just could be what

you've been waiting for.

So exercise your freedom of choice—ask for the

Easy English

edi-

tion of the adult Sabbath School quarterly at your local Adventist Book

Center.

Contents

God Tells Us About His Love

God Tells Us About the Godhead

God Tells Us What He Is Like

God Tells Us About His Son

God Tells Us About His Spirit

God Tells Us How He Created

God Tells Us About Ourselves

God Gives Us a World View

God Tells Us Why Christ Died

10.

God Tells Us How to Be Saved

11.

God Tells Us About His Church

12.

God Introduces the Three

Angels' Messages

13.

God Urges Us to Unite

The Adult Sabbath School Lessons are prepared by the Department of Church Ministries

of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The preparation of the lessons is

under the general direction of a worldwide Sabbath School Lesson Committee, the mem-

bers of which serve as consulting editors. The published lesson quarterly reflects the input

of the committee and thus does not solely or necessarily represent the intent of the authors.

Editorial Offices: 6840 Eastern Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20012

Lesson Authors: Erwin R. Gane

J. Robert Spangler

Leo R. Van Dotson

Editors: Erwin R. Gane

Leo R. Van Dolson

Assistant Editor: Charlotte Ishkanian

Pacific Press Editor: Lincoln E. Steed

Marketing: Bob Kyte

Sales Office: Shirley Sayers

Cover Design: Paul B. Ricchiuti

Cover Photo: Duane Tank

Scripture references other than from the King James Version quoted by permission in this quarterly are as follows:

NASB. From

The New American Standard Bible,

permission.

NIV. From

The New International Version,

permission.

RSV. From the

Revised Standard Version,

the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

RV. From the

Revised Version,

Adult Sabbath School Lessons (standard edition). (USPS 702-480). Published quarterly by

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One year subscription in U.S.A., $4.25; single copy, $1.50. One year subscription to

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Editions in Braille available. See p. 97. Easy English Edition Available.

Adult Sabbath School Lessons (USPS 702-480)/No. 373 / July-September 1988

Meet the Writers

This Quarter's

Lessons

Dr. Erwin R. Gane is the new editor of the Adult

Sabbath School Lessons. While he has pastored

several churches on two continents, most of his ser-

vice has been in the field of education. He taught at

Avondale College in his native Australia, and at

Union and Pacific Union Colleges in the United

States. He received his M.A., M.Div., and M.Th. de-

grees from Andrews University, and a Ph.D degree

from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Gane and his

wife, Winsome, have two grown sons.

Elder J. Robert Spangler is associate secretary of

the Ministerial Department at the General Confer-

ence and is editor of

Ministry

Magazine. He received

his B.A. from Columbia Union College and his M.A.

from Andrews University. He served as pastor and

conference evangelist for eleven years before mov-

ing to the Far East Division, where he worked as

ministerial secretary for eight years. Elder Spangler

has written three books,

First Things First, Marked!

and

Healthy, Happy, Holy,

which he co-authored

with Leo R. Van Dotson. The Spanglers have two

grown daughters.

Leo R. Van Dotson has recently retired as editor

of the Adult Sabbath School Lessons. His career

has included pastoral work in the U.S. and Japan,

teaching at Pacific Union College and the Loma

Linda University School of Health. He holds a Ph.D.

in educational administration from Claremont Col-

lege. Dr. Van Dotson has served as an editor on

Ministry, Life and Health,

and the

Adventist Review

magazines. He has authored or co-authored 18

books and has written several adult teachers' aids.

He and his wife, Bobbie Jane, have two grown sons.

Acknowledgment: Others

whose contributions have been used in prepar-

ing these lessons are Dr. Norman Gulley, Kenneth McFarland, and the

writers of the articles that appeared in the special doctrinal issue of the

Adventist Review

published in 1981.

toys

11 Pfr

c.)

811H3 3

THE SON

nnEe

Christ the Center of Truth

These lessons begin two quarters of study dealing with the

twenty-seven fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist

church.

During these two quarters, it will be of utmost importance to

understand that every teaching of the church centers in Jesus

Christ. "Christ, His character and work, is the center and cir-

cumference of all truth, He is the chain upon which the jewels

of doctrine are linked. In Him is found the complete system of

truth."—Ellen G. White, Review and

Herald,

August 15, 1893.

As each doctrine is studied we need to ask ourselves how this

doctrine centers in Christ. Another question that should be ad-

dressed is, "How does belief in this doctrine affect me today?"

These two questions will require meditation, prayer, and dis-

cussion if we are to receive a rich reward from our study.



YDDIRY

God Teills Us

About His Love

MEMORY TEXT: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God,

and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in-

struction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect,

throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Holy Scriptures.

The Holy Scriptures,

Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine

inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were

moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the

knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible

revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experi-

ence, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of

God's acts in history."—Fundamental Belief No. 1.

OUTLINE:

God's Two Words.

II.

Evidences of Inspiration.

III.

How to Understand the Bible.

IV.

The Importance of Bible Study.

The Word Reveals the Word.

INTRODUCTION:

The God of the Bible is a God who reveals Himself to

us. He does not leave us alone in our state of lostness, alienated from Him

because of sin. He comes to us, showing us His character, revealing His

will, offering us the salvation He has provided.

God did not send the Bible to us by overnight express from heaven. He

did not hire a staff of temporary secretaries to take word-for-word dictation.

Instead, He inspired the Bible writers with His thoughts and messages by

such means as visions, dreams, angelic conversations, and special revela-

tions to the mind of the prophet. The prophets then wrote these revelations in

their own words. Thus, while many people wrote the Bible, it had only one

Author.

The central personality of the written Word is the Living Word—Jesus

Christ. And the central theme of the Bible is God's love as demonstrated in

the life, death, and teachings of Jesus.

Being a large book, the Bible deals with many subjects. It contains his-

tory, prophecy, doctrine, biography, poetry, and counsel. But, for God's

true followers, the chief motive for reading the Bible is not so much to learn

its facts as to get acquainted with its Author. The ultimate purpose of Scrip-

ture is to lead us into a personal relationship with God.

The old adage "we are what we eat" can apply to the spiritual dimensions

Utq

SUN

of life as well as to the physical. If because our spiritual diet is impoverished

we try to feed our souls on the husks of the commonplace and uninspired,

our minds and souls will become dwarfed.

Do you not know someone who in the last few years has demonstrated

striking Christian growth? If you check the reason for it, you will discover

that deep, daily, and prayerful Bible study underlies all such spectacular

Christian development.

L GOD'S TWO WORDS.

What claim do Bible writers make concerning the source of their

messages? What does the Bible do for those who accept its inspiration?

1 Thess. 2:13.

The Bible does not attempt to prove that it is the Word of God. It claims

divine authorship. The proof of this claim lies in what it is able to do for

those who accept its claim.

What other "Word" is pointed to as the revelation of God? John 1:1,

2, 14.

Seventh-day Adventists believe in the two-sided, divine-human nature of

revelation. "The Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language

of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed

in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it

is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that 'the Word was made flesh, and

dwelt among us.' John 1:14.

"—The Great Controversy,

p. vi.

ILLUMINATION:

"It seems in harmony with the revealed truth of God to

suggest that a similarity in principle prevails between the manner of the birth

of the incarnate Word of God and the method of the composition of the

written Word of God. Scripture was, so to speak, 'conceived or inspired of

the Holy Ghost, and thought and uttered by human prophets.' Scripture is

obviously the work of human writers; and yet it is still more the product and

result of a special and supernormal activity of the Spirit."—Alan N. Stibbs,

Revelation and the Bible,

ed. C. E H. Henry (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker

Book House, 1949), p. 111.

How does 2 Peter 1:19-21 make it clear that the Bible has a divine

Author even though it was written by selected prophets?

COMPLETE:

The Bible is a collection of many ancient books, its first

books having been written about 1500 B.C. and its last book about A.D.

100. There are



books in the first section, which is known as the Old

Testament, and



books in the New Testament, making a total of



books in this collection. (Answers for these questions will be found by

studying the table of contents of your Bible.) The Bible is unique, how-

ever, in that the men who wrote it did not merely write their own ideas. The

text above states that these holy men of old "spake as they were moved by

the



" About 40 different writers served as God's

penmen in the production of the Bible. These individuals lived and wrote in

such widely scattered localities as Sinai, Babylon, Jerusalem, and Rome.

God inspired various classes of writers. He used princes and paupers, heroes

and herdsmen.

Have you ever tried to jump to heaven from your back yard? There is no

way we can make it to heaven on our own. That is why God took the initia-

tive and came down to us.

For revelation to be revelation it must have su-

pernatural quality.

It comes as something from outside our world. It is not

merely the product of history. It does not spring from human creativity. It is

a message from beyond the human realm and therefore comes to inform,

motivate, and change us. It comes as the purpose of God's seeking—to tell

us how we can be saved. Salvation does not have its origin on our side. It

comes from His side. But it has been worked out on our side; coming to

fruition, or meaning in Christ. Christ came from heaven, was born into the

human family, and worked out salvation within human history. In the same

way divine thoughts have come to this earth, born into the minds of proph-

ets, who gave them to us in human expression.

The Holy Spirit is able to preserve the divine within the human. In the

same way that the divine and human natures were united in Jesus, divine

thoughts were kept preserved by the Spirit within human expressions. Thus

the Bible is at once fully human, but more than human. Through its human

words, thoughts, patterns, ideas, concepts, and history, God speaks.

II. EVIDENCES THAT THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED.

The Bible's impressive harmony, in spite of its great diversity in author-

ship, time, and places written, is one of the unmistakable evidences that it is

what it claims to be—the Word of God.

SEARCH AND LEARN: How do the following Bible passages indicate

that the Bible is inspired?

2 Tim. 3:16



Rom. 1:16



1 Peter 1:24, 25



Jer. 28



Isa. 40



ILLUMINATION:

"The apostle Peter says that there are in Scripture

`things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable

wrest . . . unto their own destruction.' 2 Peter 3:16. The difficulties of Scrip-

ture have been urged by skeptics as an argument against the Bible; but so far

from this, they constitute a strong evidence of its divine inspiration. . . .

About

The very grandeur and mystery of the themes presented should inspire faith

in it as the word of God.

"The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and a perfect adaptation to the

needs and longings of the human heart, that has astonished and charmed the

most highly cultivated minds, while it enables the humblest and uncultured

to discern the way of salvation. . . . Thus the plan of redemption is laid open

to us, so that every soul may see the steps he is to take in repentance toward

God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to be saved in God's

appointed way; yet beneath these truths, so easily understood, lie mysteries

that are the hiding of His glory—mysteries that overpower the mind in its

research, yet inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith.

The more he searches the Bible, the deeper is his conviction that it is the

word of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine

revelation.

"—Steps to Christ,

pp. 107, 108.

Because God changes not, the revelation of His character in the Scriptures

is unchanging. Because He has one way of saving lost men and women, the

portrayal of that way in the Scriptures never can be changed or superseded.

Because they are the word of God, they summon each of us to salvation and

obedience. In a world of flux and change, of shifting values and conflicting

claims of truth, they remain the one unerring standard.

III. HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE.

Tremendous joy comes in discovering the hidden treasures of the Word of

God. The reward we receive is worth far more than the effort it takes to

discover it. And the effort itself becomes joyful, just as with the man in the

parable of the hidden treasure who became so thrilled with his discovery that

in his joy he sold all that he had. The effort and trouble that it took to sell his

things quickly, even at a loss, was no bother to him, but was exciting in

itself as he anticipated the final results.

What attitude is essential to understanding the Bible? Prov. 28:5.

ILLUMINATION:

"Never should the Bible be studied without prayer.

Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy

Spirit, and it will be given.

"—Steps to Christ,

p. 91.

As we open our Bibles to study, we should lay aside all preconceived

opinions and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth. (See John 16:13.)

Why is the guidance of the Holy Spirit so essential in Bible study?

1 Cor. 2:11-14.

As we approach the study of the Scriptures, we must remember their

unique character. Ordinary means of investigation are inadequate. Many

have seen the three-dimensional motion pictures that require special glasses

to bring each scene into focus. God provides special glasses for us through

the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In a special way the Spirit of truth focuses

our attention on the plan of salvation.

What indication do we have that scripture needs to be compared with

scripture in order for us to get all God's counsel on a topic being stud-

ied? Isa. 28:10, 13.

Although we must compare scripture with scripture, we must seek to un-

derstand fully what a passage says before we move on to other passages. We

should not take it out of context, maki ig the passage say something that God

never intended it to say.

ILLUMINATION:

"We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind

on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for

us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we

know 'what saith the Lord.'

"—The Desire of Ages,

p. 390.

As we become better acquainted with God's will, what can we expect

to happen in our lives? Heb. 4:12.

If the study of the Bible does not change our lives, we can be certain there

is some fault in us. We cannot blame God. If we expect God to continue to

guide us into additional revelations of His will, we must accept and put into

practice the light He already has given us. (See John 7:17.)

What value is there to be found in memorizing portions of the Bible?

Psalm 119:11.

IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF BIBLE STUDY.

Why is daily Bible study so important to the Christian? Jer. 9:23, 24;

Acts 17:10, 11.

ILLUMINATION:

"Every day you should learn something new from the

Scriptures. Search them as for hid treasures, for they contain the words of

eternal life. Pray for wisdom and understanding to comprehend these holy

writings"--My

Life Today,

p. 22.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the passages that follow teach about

the importance of Bible study?

Psalm 119:105



Psalm 119:165



WED

Matt 4



John 5:24



Rom. 10:17



COMPLETE:

Those who

and



that

which Christ teaches are like the man who built his home on the solid rock

(Luke 6:46-49). The floods mentioned in these verses represent the tests and

trials of life. Faith that stands life's tests is built on careful and prayerful

study of the Word of God.

V. THE WORD REVEALS THE WORD.

Wrongly viewed, even a Bible doctrine (for example, the destruction of

the wicked) can present a false picture of what God is like. But studied with

prayer and humility and with the Holy Spirit's immediate guidance, each

Bible teaching becomes a picture that helps us see God more clearly. In a

special way the Bible reveals God to us in Christ. Christ in turn is the clear-

est revelation of God's character that the world has ever seen. He is God's

thought made audible. He is God's character made tangible. He is God's

mind made understandable. •

What invitation does Christ extend to us through the Scriptures?

Matt. 11:28.

Christ suggests that as we "diligently study," we will find that "these are

the Scriptures that testify about me" (John 5:39, NIV). We find Him to be

the core, content, and context of these writings. If we take Jesus and His

salvation out of the Bible nothing substantial is left. All focuses on Him as

the central good news. Ali Scripture is given by divine inspiration, and is

able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Him (2 Tim.3:15, 16).

In coming to the Bible, we discover the Holy Spirit's mission is to lead us

to Jesus, to glorify Him, and not the Holy Spirit Himself (John 16:13, 14).

Because Biblical writers wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter

1:21), their focus also is on Jesus. Yet, to one unenlightened, or not guided

by the Spirit, the Bible remains closed. To experience the purpose of the

Scriptures, we must allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to encounter Christ

therein, and be led to glorify Him.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Read the introduction to

The

Great Controversy,

pp. v-ix. (If available to you read the excellent article in

Selected Messages,

bk. 1, pp. 15-23.)

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

The subject of inspiration and revelation re-

mains an issue of much theological discussion. Seventh-day Adventists re-

ject the concept of a double source of revelation—the Bible and tradition.

We Adventists accept the Bible only as the rule of our faith and practice.

On the various methods used in approaching the Scriptures, and the one

that we believe to be correct, we suggest that those deeply interested secure

a copy of the 1986 Annual Council action dealing with Methods of Bible

Study. Write the Biblical Research Institute, 6840 Eastern Ave. , N.W. ,

Washington, D.C. 20012 for a copy.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

Set yourself a goal

of sharing what you are learning about what Seventh-day Adventists believe

with someone else every week this quarter. People with whom you share

this teaching about the Bible most likely will fit into one of the following

categories:

Those who do not believe that the Bible is inspired. With such people

you should emphasize the Bible's claims and the evidences for them. Par-

ticularly emphasize such evidences as the Bible's power to change lives

through its presentation of Christ, its fulfilled prophecy, its unity of teach-

ing, and its timeless relevance for the problems of humanity.

Those who believe that only portions of the Bible are inspired. Ask

these people, Who is to decide which portions are inspired? Cite the claims

to full inspiration in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20, 21. Show how Jesus

and New Testament writers accepted and used the Old Testament as in-

spired.

Those who accept the Bible as fully inspired. With these people you are

on common ground. Reinforce their beliefs as you demonstrate from the

Bible the truth of the Adventist message.

Those who believe that every word in the original manuscripts was

dictated by God, and that it is completely inerrant. Explain that there would

not be the variety in style of writing or differences in recounting events if the

Holy Spirit had dictated every word of the Scriptures.

SUMMARY:

In two or three brief sentences, summarize what you have

learned from this lesson and what it means to you personally:

APPLICATION

Do I spend more time studying the Scriptures or looking at tele-

vision?

Do I study the Bible in order to prove a point or to strengthen my

relationship with its Author?

Watch at your local Adventist Book

Center for the supplemental book.

God Tens Us

About the Godhead

MEMORY TEXT: "Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God is one

Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,

and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deut. 6:4, 5).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Trinity.

There is one God: Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons. God is immortal, all-

powerful, all knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and be-

yond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. He is

forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation."

—Fundamental Belief No. 2.

OUTLINE:

There Is Only One God.

II.

Jesus Christ Is Deity.

III.

The Holy Spirit Is a Person and Deity.

IV.

There is Only One Creator—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Have the Same

Characteristics.

INTRODUCTION:

A woman in Sabbath School once asked her

teacher, "To whom do I pray, to the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit?"

With some feeling she explained that when she prayed to the Father, it

seemed that she was not communicating with Jesus. But when she spoke

directly to Jesus, it seemed that she was ignoring the Father.

The teacher explained that orthodox prayer is speaking to the Father, in

the name of the Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit. He went on to

explain, however, that Jesus may be addressed and worshiped directly. Paul

taught that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in

heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth" (Phil. 2:10).

When Stephen was dying he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"

(Acts 7:59).

If you think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as One, you know that

when you are speaking to Christ, you are also speaking to the Father and the

Spirit. Certainly they are three divine Persons; but they are One God who

loves you infinitely and wishes to have oversight of your entire life.

In every age some people have believed in the existence of many gods.

Unlike the nations around them, the ancient Israelites were monotheists—

they believed in only one God. This belief brought them into direct conflict

with the religions of other nations. The Psalmist wrote: "For all the gods of

the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens" (Ps. 96:5). Jacob

urged his household to put away the "strange gods" that were among them,

"and be clean" (Gen. 35:2). Jeremiah was instructed to proclaim: "The

gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish

from the earth, and from under these heavens" (Jer. 10:11).

The Christian church generally has accepted the Bible teaching that there

is only one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Most Christians agree that the

Bible teaching of one God in three divine Persons is a deep mystery that no

human mind can understand.

God's people are the first to admit that they cannot explain His nature.

Human wisdom, regardless of how penetrating and brilliant, is totally in-

capable of penetrating God's "hidden wisdom" (1 Cor. 2:7). Speaking of

this wisdom, Paul declared, "None of the rulers of this age has understood:

for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of

glory" (1 Cor. 2:8, NASB). That which God has revealed about Himself in

the Bible has to be accepted by faith. But the most important issue is to

know Him as a Saviour from sin, who will give eternal life to those who

believe.

I. THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.

How did Moses express the confidence of Israel in their one God?

Dent. 6:4; 4:35.

The Hebrew of Deut. 6:4 reads literally: "Jehovah [or Yahweh] our God,

Jehovah [is] One." Consistently God revealed Himself to the prophets as

One. (See Ps. 83:18; 86:10; Isa. 43:10; 44:6.) No god ever preceded the one

true God, and no other has ever come into existence to share His glory.

According to Jesus, how many God's are there? Mark 12:28-34.

Jesus emphasized the Old Testament teaching that there is only one God.

His apostles taught the same truth. (See 1 Cor. 8:4; Eph. 4:5, 6; James

2:19.)

We are confronted by infinite mystery when we study the nature of God.

Even so, there are a few truths on this subject that are revealed clearly. "The

secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are re-

vealed belong unto us and to our children for ever" (Deut. 29:29).

Nothing else that the Scriptures teach about the nature of God contradicts

the truth that there is only one God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not

teach that there are three separate Gods who are united only morally and

spiritually. Jesus said, "I am in the Father, and the Father in me" (John

14:10). He explained to Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"

(John 14:9). No human analogy is adequate to explain this mystery, and no

human relationship completely parallels it.

ILLUMINATION:

"Unmistakable evidence is given that the Creator of

the universe, the One infinite in wisdom and love and truth, is the Supreme

Ruler of heaven and earth, and that none can with impunity defy His

power"—Patriarchs and Prophets,

p. 123.

MON

God Tells Ws About th• Godhead



"Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the Source

and Sustainer of all, is alone entitled to supreme reverence and worship."—

Patriarchs and Prophets,

p. 305.

"The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to

mortal sight.

"The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. . . .

"The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to

heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the

power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal

Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of

these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those

who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will coop-

erate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life

in Christ.

"—Evangelism,

pp. 614, 615.

II. JESUS CHRIST IS DEITY.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He is equal

with the Father in authority and power, and mysteriously One with Him.

Christ is not another God, or an inferior God. He is Deity. He is so bound to

the Father in nature and attributes that to know Him is to know the Father.

SEARCH AND LEARN: How do the following Bible passages indicate

that Jesus is God in the fullest

sense?

John 5:18



John 8:58



John 10:30-33, 38



Col. 1:19; 2



Isa 9



Jesus claimed equality with God. He referred to Himself as the "I AM"

(John 8:58), the name given to Himself by Yahweh in the time of Moses

(Ex. 3:14). His countrymen, who rejected His claim, took up stones to cast

at Him. To them this was supreme blasphemy because no one could make a

more exalted claim for Himself.

The Jews reacted in the same way when Jesus claimed: "I and my Father

are one" (John 10:30). "The Father is in me, and I in him" (verse 38;

compare John 14:9, 10).

Paul's statements in Col. 1:19 and 2:9 establish that the full and complete

nature of the Deity dwells in Christ. The word "fulness" means "complete-

ness, full measure." The word "Godhead" (Col. 2:9) translates the Greek

word that means "Deity."

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the God of the universe came to dwell

with humanity (Matt. 1:23). Beyond our comprehension is the truth that the

babe in the manger was "The mighty God, The everlasting

Father, The

Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). "And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom

was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in

the manger.

"—The Signs of the Times,

July 30, 1896.

This does not mean that the Father and the Son are the same Personality.

It means that, although having a distinct personality, Jesus was, and still

remains, the "express image" of the Father (Heb. 1:3). The Son of God

who came to earth first to show us how to live and then to die for our sins

was the One "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting"

(Micah 5:2). As the Deity, Christ, like the Father, has existed from the days

of eternity. (Compare Heb. 7:2, 3.)

Thomas claimed Jesus Christ as his Lord and God (John 20:28). Paul

taught that the One manifest in the flesh was God (1 Tim. 3:16), and that

"the great God and our Saviour" is "Jesus Christ" (Titus. 2:13).

SEARCH AND LEARN: Compare the following pairs of texts as evi-

dence that Jehovah (Yahweh or Lord) of the Old Testament is Jesus

Christ of the New Testament:

Isa. 40:3 and Matt 3



Isa. 8:13, 14 and 1 Peter 2:7, 8



Isa. 6:5 and John 12:41



HI. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON AND DEITY.

The Holy Spirit is not presented in the Bible merely as God's influence on

human hearts. He is a Person who in nature, authority, and power is equal

with the Father and the Son.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What three marks of personality are pos-

sessed by the Holy Spirit?

John 14:26; 16:13



Acts 16:6, 7; 1 Cor. 12:11



Acts 15:28; Eph. 4:30; Isa. 63:10



Because the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher, we know that He has intel-

lect. Because He can forbid God's servants to do certain things or to go to

certain places, and because He can give spiritual gifts to whom He wishes,

we know that He has a will. The fact that the Spirit can be pleased, grieved,

and vexed demonstrates that He is capable of emotion.

Intellect, will, and emotion are major evidences of personality. No mere

influence can do the things that the Holy Spirit does.

The Holy Spirit assumed the form of tongues like fire on the day of Pente-

cost (Acts 2:3, 4). The experience demonstrated that the Spirit is a divine

Person who comes into people's lives. At the baptism of Jesus the Holy

Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon the Saviour (Matt. 3:16). No

mere influence would be represented in these ways.

SEARCH AND LEARN: How do the following texts indicate the Deity

of the Holy Spirit?

Acts 5:3-5



2 Sam. 23:2, 3



2 Peter 1:21 compared with 2 Tim. 3:16



Eze. 8:1, 3



Ananias and Sapphira lied "to the Holy Ghost" (Acts 5:3), or "unto

God" (verse 4). Only God has the right to withdraw His life-giving power

from a person" (verse 5). The point is that the Holy Ghost is God. "The

Spirit of the Lord" who spoke by David (2 Sam. 23:2) is the same Person as

"the God of Israel" (verse 3). Holy men of old (the prophets) were inspired

by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21), who is God (2 Tim. 3:16).

The "hand of the Lord God," which fell upon Ezekiel, was the hand of

the Holy Spirit, who lifted him up and took him in vision to another location

(Eze. 8:1, 3).

These are a few examples of the many that could be given from Scripture

indicating that the Holy Spirit is Deity. He is spoken of as "the eternal

Spirit" (Heb. 9:14). He is the Source of spiritual power for God's people

(Micah 3:8; Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:18, 19).

ILLUMINATION:

"The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not

bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of

God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the

secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God.

"—Evangelism,

p. 617.

IV. THERE IS ONLY ONE CREATOR—FATHER, SON, AND

HOLY SPIRIT.

How many Creators does the Bible speak of? Mal. 2:10; 1 Peter 4:19;

compare Gen. 1:26.

The use of the plural in Gen. 1:26 suggests that all three members of the

Deity were involved.

SEARCH AND LEARN: According to these passages, who was the Cre-

ator?

Gen 1



1 Cor. 8:6



Col. 1:16



WED

Lesson

Heb. 1:2, 3



Job 26:13; 33:4; Psalm 104:30

The Creator, who is one Deity, not three, includes three divine Persons:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is such a close and mysterious bond

between them that it is never correct to regard them as three separate Gods.

Christ and the Holy Spirit exercise all the same powers and prerogatives

as does the Father. There is no suggestion in Scripture that the Son and the

Holy Spirit are subordinate or inferior to the Father. Those passages that

speak of the Father as greater than the Son (John 14:28), or as knowing more

than the Son (Mark 13:32) refer to the limitations that Christ imposed upon

Himself as a man while here on earth. When Christ accepted a subordinate

and dependent role He did not cease to be Deity. He wished to demonstrate

to us how a human being could live in complete obedience to God's will by

relying upon Him for power.

V. THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT HAVE THE SAME

CHARACTERISTICS.

Because they are each "the fulness of the Godhead" (Col. 2:9), the Fa-

ther, Son, and Holy Spirit have certain identical characteristics. It is encour-

aging for believers to know what these characteristics are. The infinite abili-

ties that God possesses make it possible for Him to protect and guide His

people.

What does the Bible teach about the power of the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit? Job 42:1, 2; Matt. 28:18; Rom. 15:19.

What other abilities does God have?

Psalm 147:5; John 16:30; 1 Cor. 2:10



Psalm 139:7-10



ILLUMINATION:

"All created beings live by the will and power of God.

They are dependent recipients of the life of God. From the highest seraph to

the humblest animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life.

"—

The Desire of Ages,

p. 785.

An infinitely powerful being who did not love others would be someone

to be afraid of. Our God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) loves so infinitely

that He was prepared to suffer intensely to save us from sin and eternal

death.

When we accept Christ as Saviour and Lord, the love of God is "shed

abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5).

Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit's presence in our hearts is the presence

of both the Father and the Son (John 14:18, 23). The all-powerful, all-

knowing, infinitely-loving Creator promises to dwell within each of us, liv-

ing out His life through us (Gal. 2:20). In this way the divine life and love

fill our souls.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

In the light of the truth re-

vealed in this lesson, how would you interpret the following Bible passages?

John 1:1; Col. 1:15-17; Rev. 3:14.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

In A.D. 325, the Council of Nicea condemned

Arianism, a heresy that denied the full Deity and eternal pre-

existence of Christ. Arius taught that, back in the eternal ages, Christ was

brought into existence by the Father. Therefore, Arius depicted Christ as an

inferior deity. Some modern religious groups have followed Arius quite

closely.

Another false view of the Godhead is known as modalism. Adherents of

this view think of each member of the Godhead as another mode or form

which the one God assumes at different times. A modern form of modalism

is unitarianism.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

It is important to

emphasize what the doctrine of the Trinity has to do with our spiritual life

and our salvation. The concept that Christ is a created being, minimizes the

majestic truth that one equal with God, Jesus Christ, died for humankind on

the cross of Calvary. The effect is to reduce our appreciation for the ultimate

sacrifice that God paid to redeem us. "The divinity of Christ is the believer's

assurance of eternal life"—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 530.

If we regard Christ and the Holy Spirit as less in power and authority than

the Father, our relationship with Them will be less than it should be. How

excited would you be if the ruler of your country invited you to dinner?

Would you be just as excited if the vice-president or some cabinet member

invited you to dinner? In the Trinity we have three Persons of equal power

and authority knocking at our heart's door and offering to dwell within us.

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists are trinitarian monotheists. They be-

lieve that our

one

God includes

three

distinct Persons: the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Spirit. This mystery must be accepted by faith. Only in the

heavenly kingdom will we understand the nature of God more fully. In this

life every believer has the exciting privilege of having God live in His life.

APPLICATION

Am I willing to believe that God is my loving heavenly Father?

0 Am I willing to accept Jesus Christ as supreme Lord?

NOTES:

God Tells Us

What he Os Like

MEMORY TEXT: "If ye had known me, ye should have known

my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen

him" (John 14:7).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Father.

God the Eternal Father is the Cre-

ator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. He is just and holy,

merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and

faithfulness. The qualities and powers exhibited in the Son and the Holy

Spirit are also revelations of the Father. "—Fundamental Belief No. 3.

OUTLINE:

I. Limits to Our Understanding of God.

H. God the Eternal Father.

III.

What Creation Reveals About God.

IV.

What God Is Like.

God Revealed in the Son and Holy Spirit.

INTRODUCTION:

Bored with the cult of self, many people today are

looking for something better. And there

something better, something

more satisfying—knowing God. Because God wants us to know Him, He

has revealed Himself in many ways—first of all, in the Bible.

The Bible makes no direct attempt to prove God's existence—it assumes

it. The first words of the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heaven

and the earth" (Gen. 1:1), indicate that before the world was, He was. He is

the Creator and Source of matter and life.

However, there is much about the essential nature of God that we do not

know, because He has not revealed it to us. Among those items that are not

revealed are the nature of His essence and how He can be eternal, infinite,

and omnipresent. But God's nature is understood to some extent through the

way that He deals with us, as well as in what He tells us about Himself. He

has revealed that which is important for our salvation.

I. LIMITS TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD.

Picture Albert Einstein trying to explain the theory of relativity to a 3-

year-old. There is no way that a 3-year-old could begin to grasp the com-

plexity of all that was going on in the mind of the great scientist. We are in

that position when it comes to trying to understand the mind of God or even

what He is like. The lowliest angel is far superior to Einstein in intellect and

brilliance. If we cannot understand the nature and power of an angel, how

MON

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much less can we understand the nature and magnificence of God the Fa-

ther.

SEARCH AND LEARN: How do the following scriptures reveal the

limits to our understanding of God?

Job 11



Psalm 145



Isa. 55



Rom. 11:33



Human words cannot convey the content adequately when speaking of

God; they merely point beyond themselves in the direction of God. Man

stutters when he tries to speak about God. One of the reasons that Jesus lived

among people for more than thirty years was to demonstrate God in actions

that would speak more clearly than words. That's why He said: "I am the

way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through

me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now

on, you do know him and have seen him" (John 14:6,7 NIV).

Even though we cannot understand God fully, what thrilling aspect

of our relationship with Him does He make possible when we choose to

believe in Him? Heb. 11:1, 6.

II. GOD THE ETERNAL FATHER.

1. The Personhood of God.

How did Jesus describe God to the Samaritan woman at the well?

John 4:24.

Jesus' statement to the woman at the well of Sychar was not intended to

indicate that God is without form or center of being or activity. Christ's

statement has to do with power and quality rather than with essence of be-

ing. The nature of the infinite God is far beyond that of finite humans and

not to be confused with our nature. He is supernatural and exalted, beyond

our ability to conceive. He exists on a plane, or dimension, that is incompre-

hensible to us.

Yet the Hebrew concept of spirit is more concrete than abstract. God oc-

cupies space even though He is unseeable as far as humans are concerned.

We are formed in His image (Gen. 1:27), indicating that He has a specific

form. Throughout the Bible God is described as a person. He speaks, hears,

sees, and writes. He regrets, is grieved, and displays anger and joy. Yet the

human manifestations of such actions and emotions are very imperfect illus-

trations of the infinitely righteous manner in which God acts and feels.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What other aspects of God as a Person are

indicated in the texts that follow?

2 Cor. 1:1; Psalm 40



Rom. 2:16; Psalm 7:11



Isa. 55:7



Deut. 29:29



We need to counterbalance these statements with an understanding that

God's personhood is not limited to our conceptions of personhood. He is

above all, He created all, and He upholds all. He is omnipotent (Rev. 19:6),

high and holy (Isa. 57:15), omniscient (1 John 3:20), has infinite wisdom

(Eph. 1:8), is eternal and immortal (1 Tim. 1:17), and omnipresent (Psalm

139:7; Jer. 23:24)—free from all limitations of space in His activities.

Beyond this, God is the self-determining and self-directing center of what

is happening in our universe. He conceives purposes, and works to see that

His purposes are ultimately carried out and accomplished.

2. God as Father.

Jesus' favorite way of identifying God was as Father. In the Lord's prayer

Jesus indicates that God

wants

us to call Him "Father."

SEARCH AND LEARN: Study the passages that follow in order to

learn what you can about Jesus' use of the term

Father.

Matt. 11:25-27



Mark 14:36



Luke 10:22



John 5:19-26



John 17



Through adoption by Christ, we become His sons and daughters (John

1:12, 13). God our heavenly Father is not just some sort of impersonal force

or universal energy.

III. WHAT CREATION REVEALS ABOUT GOD.

Someone has said, "God has two books—the Bible and the book of

nature."

To what extent does nature reveal God to us? Rom. 1:20.

At the time of Creation, all things, in their original perfection, were an

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expression of God's thought and, as such, mirrored clearly the divine nature

and goodness of the Creator. Nature was full of the knowledge of God, and

all about was the evidence of His wisdom and love. But as soon as Adam

and Eve sinned the consequences of sin became evident in a marred and

defiled world. "Yet even in its blighted state, much that is beautiful re-

mains. God's object lessons are not obliterated; rightly understood, nature

speaks of her Creator.

"—Christ's Object Lessons,

p. 18.

According to the psalmist, how widespread is nature's revelation of

the Creator? Psalm 19:1-4.

R. J.

Voskuyl, formerly professor of chemistry and dean of Wheaton Col-

lege, states: "One cannot rightly know God from the natural world alone.

The scientist may work for an eternity, but he will never come to know God

and all His attributes. . . . Man is but a creature of a Creator; therefore, man

cannot learn about God by investigation of His creation alone, but he needs a

special revelation. That special revelation is God's Word, which has been

given in the Scriptures. "—Members of the American Scientific Affiliation,

Modern Science and Christian Faith

(Wheaton, Ill.: Van Kampen Press,

1950), p. 4.

Because the Author of the Bible is the same as the Author of the book of

nature, there can be no discrepancies between these two forms of revelation

when rightly understood. Apparent discrepancies can be explained alone on

the grounds of the limited ability of finite human minds to grasp fully the

nature of God or the workings of His infinite mind.

We have to repress consciously God's revelation of Himself through His

Word and through nature in order to take the position that He does not exist.

One Nobel prize winning scientist reasoned that, since his mind was incapa-

ble of conceiving of a being with the enormous wisdom and power to design

and create this universe, he settled the matter by simply denying the exist-

ence of God.

The Scriptures declare, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no

God' " (Psalm 14:1, NASB .)

But to those who learn the proper use of God's revelation of Himself in

nature, "the earth will nevermore be a lonely and desolate place. It will be

their Father's house, filled with the presence of Him who once dwelt among

men."—Education,

p. 120.

IV. WHAT GOD IS LIKE.

1. The Old Testament Picture of God.

There are those who make an attempt to picture the God of the Old Testa-

ment as stern and frightening. But when properly understood the Old Testa-

ment God can be seen to be a loving, merciful God, as well as a God of

justice. He expects obedience but paid an infinite price to make obedience

possible.

SEARCH AND LEARN: How do the psalmists portray the goodness

and greatness of God?

WED

Psalm 33



Psalm 103



Psalm 111



Psalm 147



God's love is not conditioned, but springs forth spontaneously through

His free decision and is thus a manifestation of His sovereignty. (See Jer.

31:3.) The prophets cite various reasons given by God for His love for Is-

rael, such as: God chose Israel for the Father's sake or for David's sake

(Deut. 7:8; Isa. 37:35), or He chose them for His own credit's sake or for

His own name's sake (2 Kings 19:34; Eze. 20:9), or He chose them in order

to punish the wicked surrounding nations (Deut. 9:4, 5). But the reasons

given are incomplete. In God's actions and love there is mystery beyond

human understanding.

2. The New Testament Picture of God.

In the Old Testament we sense God's eagerness to reveal that which we

find almost impossible to understand fully about Him—His amazing trust-

worthiness and love. But in the New Testament we have the event toward

which the Old Testament has been moving. It reveals God's unfathomable

love, as nothing else ever has or could.

What characteristic of God is stated clearly in the New Testament?

1 John 4:8, 16.

These verses imply that there never has been or ever will be a time when

God is

not

love. Here is revealed a unique and distinctive understanding of

God that human minds unaided could not possibly have achieved. God's

revelation was necessarily progressive, reaching its climax in the greatest

possible manifestation of divine love at Calvary. "For God so loved the

world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not

perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, RSV).

God's love extends even beyond the heights of Calvary. How does

John describe our ultimate understanding of the love of God? 1 John

3:1, 2.

V. GOD REVEALED IN THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Not only do the powers and qualities exhibited by God the Son and God

the Spirit reveal to us what the Father is like, but both also are involved in

teaching us about the Father.

What did Jesus say about people being able to know God through

Him? John 14:9.

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Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the

Father except through me" (John 14:6, NIV). Not only did Jesus come to

reveal the Father but also to become our way to the Father.

How did Jesus assess His success in revealing the Father to His fol-

lowers? John 17:4, 6.

When Jesus stooped down and washed the feet of His betrayer (John

13:11-14) He demonstrated what the Father is like. He is love. When He fed

the hungry (Mark 6:39-44; 8:2-9), healed the deaf (Mark 9:25-27), dumb

(Mark 7:33-37), blind (Mark 8:23-26), palsied (Luke 5:18-26), and lepers

(Luke 5:12, 13), cast out demons (Matt. 15:22-28; 17:14, 21), raised the

dead (Mark 5:35-42; John 11:17-45), and forgave sinners (John 8:4-11) He

enabled people to see the Father mingling among humanity, bringing them

His life, setting them free, giving them hope, and pointing them to a restored

new earth to come.

The Holy Spirit's love for us, implied in Romans 8:26, 27, demon-

strates God's love for us. What part does the Spirit have in helping us

understand the truth about the Father? John 16:13-15.

The picture of God developed in the story of the prodigal son in Luke

15:11-32 undoubtedly provides one of the clearest pictures ever given the

world of the heavenly Father's love for His prodigal children on earth. One

fact we do not ordinarily consider is that the Father in heaven lost His Son.

He so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Other sons have run away

as prodigals. But this Son, Jesus, went into the far country to seek and to

save the lost.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Read

Steps to Christ,

pp. 9-

15;

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing,

pp. 105-107.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

God is often depicted as a harsh Judge, a God

of vengeance, One to be afraid of. Such a depiction is foreign to the Bible.

(See Psalms 42:1, 2; 55:22; 103:13, 14.)

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

There are four gen-

eral categories of belief relative to the doctrine of God:

Atheists

believe there is no God.

Agnostics

believe that it is impossible to know whether there is a God,

a future life, or anything not material.

Deists

believe that God created the world but assumes no control over

it or over the lives of its inhabitants.

Believers

in the existence and controlling power of God.

In approaching those in the first three categories, your personal Christ-

like character will be more convincing than argument. With believers, you

should seek to deepen their conviction of God's greatness, love, trustworthi-

ness, and power. In all cases the following counsel is important: "The Gos-

pel is to be presented, not as a lifeless theory, but as a living force to change

the life. God desires that the receivers of His grace shall be witnesses to its

power.

"—The Desire of Ages,

p. 826.

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists believe that God the eternal Father,

personal God, is all-powerful, all-knowing, and capable of being every-

where at once. His unfathomable love for His fallen human beings led Him

to sacrifice infinitely for their salvation. Although the Father's perfect right-

eousness and justice will never excuse or tolerate sin, He makes supreme

efforts to redeem sinners and restore them to a condition of perfect sinless-

ness.

APPLICATION

What is my honest opinion about God, and how do I relate to Him?

How much time do I spend on a daily basis in cultivating a friendship

with God through study, meditation, and prayer?

Give the Far East a Hug This

Quarter

It's easy to love

children. So think

of the Far East as

703 million chil-

dren. (We're all

children at heart!)

And express your

love for us by giv-

ing a generous

Thirteenth Sab-

bath Offering on

September 24.*

Thirteenth Sabbath Offering

Far Eastern Division

* Your offering will provide Junior Bible Seminaries in Burma, a college for

Thailand, and a literature ministry seminary in the Philippines.

God Tel% Us

About His Son

k1 3

MEMORY TEXT: "For such an high priest became us, who is

holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made

higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high

priests, to offer up sacrifice; first for his own sins, and then for

the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself"

(Heb. 7:26, 27).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Son.

God the eternal Son became incar-

nate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, the character of

God is revealed, the salvation of humanity is accomplished, and the world is.

judged. Forever truly God, He became also truly man, Jesus the Christ. He

was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived and

experienced temptation as a human being, but perfectly exemplified the

righteousness and love of God. By His miracles He manifested God's power

and was attested as God's promised Messiah. He suffered and died voluntar-

ily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the dead, and

ascended to minister in the heavenly sanctuary in our behalf: He will come

again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of

all things . "—Fundamental Belief No. 4.

OUTLINE:

Jesus—the Promised Messiah.

II.

Jesus—Fully God and Fully Man.

III.

Jesus—Sin-bearer for All.

IV.

Jesus—Mediator and Judge.

Jesus—Coming King.

INTRODUCTION:

What a risk God took when He created angels and

humans with the ability to choose or reject His love and manner of life! The

enormity of the risk was dramatized when Lucifer, having decided to orga-

nize his own government, led one third of the angels to join him in civil war

against the government of God. Then God took the further risk of creating

our world, inhabiting it with human beings who could choose either His

government or Satan's. What would God do if they chose Satan as their

ruler? Suppose they had second thoughts and sincerely decided that they

wanted to be God's subjects after all? Would God give them another chance

or would He destroy them?

Those questions were answered by God Himself long before our world

was created. He Himself would pay the penalty for the guilt of every human

being, so that all those who wanted to return to His kingdom and be His

faithful servants would have the opportunity.

SUN

gj)

Lesson

That is why Jesus Christ came to our world. Stepping down from His

position as the supreme King of the universe, He became a human being,

demonstrated that His law could be obeyed, and bore the penalty for the sin

of the entire world. No love can compare with that!

I. JESUS—THE PROMISED MESSIAH.

The plan for Christ to die for all human sin was devised by God Himself

and announced to our first parents as soon as they fell into disobedience.

When did God decide that Christ should be our Saviour? 1 Peter

1:18-20.

When was God's plan first announced to humans? Gen. 3:15.

ILLUMINATION:

"The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought,

a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of 'the mystery

which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.' Rom. 16:25, R. V. It

was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foun-

dation of God's throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the

apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the

apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its exist-

ence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His

love for the world, that he covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, 'that

whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'

John 3:16.

"—The Desire of Ages,

p. 22.

SEARCH AND LEARN: Compare the following pairs of texts as an

indication of how Jesus Christ's birth, life, and death fulfilled the Old

Testament prophecies of the Messiah's coming.

Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1-9



Num. 24:17; Matt. 2:1, 2, 7, 9-11—The star in the east.

Isa. 42:2-7; Matt. 12:15-22

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Isa. 53:3-5; Matt. 27:29-31—Christ wounded and bruised for us.

Isa. 53:7; Matt. 27:12-14

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Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57-60—Buried in rich man's tomb.

Isa. 53:12; Mark 15:27, 28

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Psalm 22:16-18; John 19:17, 18, 24 (compare John 20:25-27)—

Christ's crucifixion and the casting of lots for His garments.

9. Psalm 16:8-11; Acts 2:24-32—The resurrection.

Because of the remarkable way in which Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament

prophecies, we can have confidence that He is the promised Messiah. The

major events of Christ's life were foretold by prophets of the Old Testament.

The New Testament writers constantly appeal to Christ's fulfillment of the

prophecies as the best evidence for His Deity and Messiahship.

II. JESUS—FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN.

How did Jesus identify Himself? What did He say about His pre-

existence? John 8:58; John 17:5.

When Jesus came to earth He did not cease to be God. He claimed that He

was the I AM of the Old Testament. (Compare Ex. 3:14.) The prophet Mi-

cah had predicted that the Messiah would be the One who had existed from

the days of eternity (Micah 5:2), and Jesus taught that He was that One.

When here on earth, although remaining fully God, Jesus laid aside the

use of His divine attributes for Himself.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the following passages teach us about

the Deity and eternal pre-existence of Christ?

John 1:1-3, 14

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John 5:18

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Col 2



Heb 7



Col. 1:16, 17

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ILLUMINATION:

"By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His

divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave

us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey. It

was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, 'I

AM THAT I AM. . . . Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM

hath sent me unto you.' Ex. 3:14. This was the pledge of Israel's deliver-

ance. So when He came 'in the likeness of men,' He declared Himself the I

AM. The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, is God 'manifest

in the flesh.' 1 Tim. 3:16.

"—The Desire of Ages,

pp. 24, 25.

What assurances are we given that Jesus was fully human? What do

these assurances mean to us? Rom. 1:3; Phil. 2:7; Heb. 4:15, 16.

Jesus Christ did not come to demonstrate how God can obey His own law.

His purpose was to show how humans can obey God's law by relying upon

their heavenly Father for strength. In so doing, Christ demonstrated

the justice and fairness of God. In Christ, the Deity was manifested in hu-

manity. Jesus was born of a woman (Luke 1:30-35). He was God "manifest

in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). His favorite name for Himself was "Son of

man." (See Matt. 11:19; Mark 2:28; Luke 21:27; John 3:14.)

Although He was fully human, and was tempted just as we are, Jesus

never sinned. (See 1 Peter. 2:22, 23; John 8:46; Heb. 7:26.) If Jesus had

been a sinner, then Satan would have claimed that his criticism of the law of

God was correct. He would have accused God of injustice in expecting His

created beings to obey His law. By relying upon His Father for victory, Jesus

was able to overcome every one of Satan's temptations.

Are we able to overcome temptation as Jesus did? 1 Peter 2:21-23;

Rev. 3:21; 1 Cor. 10:13.

ILLUMINATION:

"Jesus left the royal courts of heaven and suffered

and died in a world degraded by sin, that He might teach man how to pass

through the trials of life and overcome its temptations. Here is a pattern for

us."—Testimonies,

vol. 5, p. 312. (See also

Christ's Object Lessons,

p. 312;

Councils on Diet and Foods,

p. 186.)

III. JESUS—SIN-BEARER FOR ALL.

By His death, Jesus paid the price for our guilt; by His life, He showed us

how to live.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the passages that follow teach about

the significance of Christ's suffering on the cross?

Isa. 53:6, 12



2 Cor. 5:21



1 Peter 2:24



Heb. 9:28



1 John 3:5



The death of Jesus on the cross was the most amazing event in the history

of our universe. God Himself bore the punishment for all human sin. How

did He do this? When the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are One, were

separated because of human guilt, the universe beheld the most awful agony

possible. Jesus' suffering was not primarily physical. His suffering was so

intense that it is beyond human understanding. It was the suffering of infi-

nite God, separated from infinite God. That is why it was infinite suffering.

And that is why it is sufficient to atone for all human sin. (See

The Desire of

Ages,

p. 753.)

How important to every human soul was Jesus' resurrection from the

dead? 1 Cor. 15:17-23.

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If Jesus had not risen from the dead there would be no hope for believers,

whether they lived before or after the cross. Abraham will rise from the dead

at the Second Advent because Jesus died for his sins on Calvary's cross.

Paul's hope was Abraham's hope. Christ died to deliver us from the guilt of

sin; He lives to rescue us from the power of temptation. His resurrection

makes possible our resurrection from both spiritual and physical death. (See

1 Peter. 1:3-5; Rom. 8:11, 23.)

IV. JESUS—MEDIATOR AND JUDGE.

After rising from the dead, Jesus returned to heaven and began His work

as High

Priest in the sanctuary. His death upon the cross atoned for human

guilt. His high-priestly ministry applies the merits of His sacrifice for those

who accept Him as Saviour and Lord.

What is involved in Jesus' work as Mediator? 1 John 1:9; 2:1; Heb.

7:25.

At the cross, the price of sin for the whole world was paid. Eternal life

was guaranteed. But the sacrifice of Jesus is meaningless and of none effect

unless His gift of salvation is accepted by the individual. (See Rom. 5:17.)

Christ's suffering for human guilt made it possible for those who repent and

confess to be forgiven. Forgiveness through Christ was a major part of the

apostles' preaching. (See Acts 13:38, 39; 5:31; Eph. 1:7.) No one needs to

go through life feeling condemned for the sins of the past. When Jesus for-

gives, the condemnation is gone (Rom. 8:1).

What else does the heavenly Mediator do for those who turn to Him?

Heb. 9:12-14; 10:19-22.

Jesus' heavenly mediation not only takes care of past guilt, but it also

cleanses the heart from sin. The sacrifice of Calvary made it possible for the

heavenly High Priest to "purge your conscience from dead works to serve

the living God" (Heb. 9:14). The word "conscience" translates the Greek

word that means "consciousness." Jesus takes away consciousness of guilt,

and the desire for sin.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the passages that follow tell us about

Jesus' work as Judge and Advocate?

Dan. 7:9, 10, 13

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John 5:22

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Acts 10:42

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Acts 17:31

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Rom. 2:16

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WED

There are four major aspects to Jesus' work as Judge. (These four aspects

will be dwelt on more fully in future lessons): (1) Christ conducts the pre-

advent, investigative judgment. (Compare Dan. 7:9, 10, 13 with Matt.

22:11-14.) (2) Christ executes judgment upon the living wicked at his sec-

ond advent. (See 2 Thess. 1:7-10.) (3) During the millennium Christ directs

His redeemed people in an examination of the life records of the wicked

dead. (See Rev. 20:4.) (4) At the end of the millennium Christ pronounces

and executes final judgment upon the wicked. (See Rev. 20:11-15.)

V. JESUS—COMING KING.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is the blessed hope of every believing

Christian. It is spoken of in many passages throughout the Bible.

What happens to the redeemed when Jesus comes the second time?

John 14:1-3; Rev. 7:13-17.

The second advent will be a glorious public event. (See Rev. 1:7; Matt.

24:30, 31; 2 Peter. 3:10.) Believers who have died will be raised and caught

up to meet the Lord in the sky (1 Thess. 4:16). Then the living believers will

be reunited with their loved ones, and together they will be taken to be with

Christ for eternity (1 Thess. 4:17).

What spiritual experience does Jesus want His people to have before

He comes the second time? Rev. 3:3-5; 2 Peter 3:11-14.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Study the following passages

for further insight into the kind of spiritual experience that Christ wishes His

people to enjoy: 1 Peter 1:15, 16; Rom. 6:18, 22; Eph. 4:13, 14; 5:26, 27;

Rev. 3:18; 12:11; 14:4, 5; 19:7, 8.

Read the chapter entitled "The Final Warning" in

The Great Controversy,

pp. 603-612.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

Certain religious leaders during the early cen-

turies taught that Christ lacked full deity. Others denied that Christ was

really a human being. They asserted that He only appeared to be a man.

While admitting that it is a mystery that must be accepted by faith, Chris-

tianity in general has held firmly to the belief that Christ is fully God and

fully man.

Throughout the centuries there has been much discussion on the question

of the human nature of Christ during the incarnation. Regardless of the posi-

tion taken, there has always been considerable agreement on certain major

points: Christ lived a sinless life; He was tempted in all points as we are; He

could have sinned; His secret of victory was total dependence upon His Fa-

ther; through the same dependence upon Christ, His followers can be

overcomers; and victory over sin by faith in Christ's power should be the

goal of every Christian.

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HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

The greatest confir-

mation of this doctrine is for Christ to be dwelling in our hearts constantly.

(See Rom. 8:9, 10.) We need to put away all dissension and give ourselves

totally to Christ for His use in saving the lost. Then as we pray for the

outpouring of the Holy Spirit in apostolic power, souls will be touched by

our witness in word and deed and many will be converted.

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists believe that Jesus Christ is the

Messiah promised by the Old Testament prophets. He was born of a virgin

and lived a blameless life of unselfish ministry. He was God in the highest

sense, and human in every respect, except that He was not a sinner. He

suffered for all human guilt, died, and rose again. He ascended to heaven,

where He now mediates the merits of His sacrifice for those who believe.

His work as Judge will come to an end only when the righteous are given

eternal life and the wicked are destroyed eternally.

APPLICATION

•

Do you believe that Jesus Christ was God as well as man?

•

Do you want Jesus to forgive your sins, purify your life, and use you

to help others find eternal life?

What Giving

Means to Me

If I give nothing,

I cast a

vote in favor of closing my church.

If I give grudgingly,

I shall neither find joy nor receive God's

blessing.

If I give systematically,

I make it possible for my church to plan to

advance, and I make it easier for myself.

If I give sacrificially,

I testify to the high value I place upon Christ and

the ministry of His church to the physical and

spiritual needs of suffering humanity.

—Thorvald Kristensen.

God TeEllis Us

About his Spirit

MEMORY TEXT: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give

you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even

•

the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it

seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he

dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16, 17).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Holy Spirit.

God the eternal Spirit was

active with the Father and the Son in Creation, incarnation, and redemption.

He inspired the writers of Scripture. He filled Christ's life with power. He

draws and convicts human beings; and those who respond He renews and

transforms into the image of God. Sent by the Father and the Son to be

always with His children, He extends spiritual gifts to the church, empowers

it to bear witness to Christ, and in harmony with the Scriptures leads it into

all truth. "—Fundamental Belief No. 5.

OUTLINE:

The Person of the Holy Spirit.

II.

The Work of the Holy Spirit.

III.

The Spirit as Christ's Representative.

IV.

The Spirit's Work in Us.

The Spirit's Work Through Us.

INTRODUCTION:

The lamps flickered in the upper room as the disciples

conversed with their Teacher. The questions they asked Jesus after

associating with Him for about three years showed that they did not yet

understand fully the reason for His mission on earth. They continued to hope

that He would free their nation from Roman domination As he sought to

prepare them for the alarming events that were almost upon them, Jesus

could sense their confusion. To allay their fears for the future, He spoke of

the gift that He and His Father would give the world—the Holy Spirit.

"Don't worry about the future," He said, in effect. "You will have My

presence with you in the form of the Holy Spirit. He will guide and sustain

you through every experience, however difficult and trying."

As one of the members of the Godhead the Holy Spirit is a person and

fully divine. He was active with the Father and Son at Creation and has been

closely involved since in the outworking of the plan of redemption.

The Holy Spirit was no stranger to the disciples. Jesus explained, "Ye

know him; for he dwelleth with you," but added a promise that the Holy

Spirit "shall be in you" (John 14:17). In a new and exciting way the Holy

Spirit was to represent Christ and dwell in and with Christian believers.

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I. THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

How do Acts 5:3, 4 and 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11 establish the fact that

the Holy Spirit is a member of the triune Godhead?

The three persons of the Godhead are portrayed in the Bible as interrelat-

ing to one another in the way expected among persons. They use personal

pronouns when speaking of one another. (See Matt. 17:5; John 16:13; 17:1,

5, 6.) They love and glorify one another. (See John 3:35; 15:10; 16:14.) The

Father sends the Son (Matt. 10:40), the Son prays to the Father, and the Son

sends the Holy Spirit as Their agent (John 14:26; 16:7). The persons in the

Godhead are so distinct that They can address one another, love one an-

other, and act in relationship to one another. Each of Them also has a par-

ticular work to perform even when They are cooperating together in such

activities as Creation and redemption.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the Bible passages that follow reveal

about the distinct personhood of the Holy Spirit?

Matt. 28:19

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Matt. 3:16, 17

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Luke 1:35

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John 15:26



2 Cor. 13:14

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ILLUMINATION:

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three

holy dignitaries of heaven, have declared that they will strengthen men to

overcome the powers of darkness. All the facilities of heaven are pledged to

those who by their baptismal vows have entered into a covenant with

God."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

vol. 5, p.

1110.

II. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

It is possible that the person and work of the Holy Spirit are the least

understood of any member of the Godhead. One of the reasons is that the

nature of His work is to present Christ and the Father rather than Himself.

When the Holy Spirit is first introduced in the Bible, what is the na-

ture of the work that He is said to perform? Gen. 1:2.

Not much is said about the Holy Spirit's role in Creation. But a further

glimpse into His creative work is given in the re-creative work that He does

within each person who is open to God. It is not the Father or the Son but the

"Creator" Holy Spirit through whom God executes His work within us. In

Creation, incarnation and re-creation, the Godhead is at work, and always

the Spirit brings God's objective to its goal.

What other special role is filled by the Holy Spirit? 2 Peter 1:20, 21.

Not only did the Holy Spirit inspire the prophets in producing the Scrip-

tures but He also has helped people through the ages understand what was

written. Through His ministry the Scriptures come alive, making Christ real

to us today, softening our hearts to the Saviour, and enabling us to live for

Him.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What other indications are given of the

Spirit's ministry in Old Testament times?

Gen 61



Ex. 31



Eze. 36:25-27



Zech 4



III. THE SPIRIT AS CHRIST'S REPRESENTATIVE.

God's people during Old Testament times looked forward to the coming

of two members of the Godhead—Jesus the Messiah and the Spirit as "for-

mer rain" (Joel 2:28). This is not to suggest that they usually understood

what was involved in this twofold coming, but at least the prophets heralded

that future day when both members of the Godhead, in different ways,

would come to Planet Earth as they had not come previously.

SEARCH AND LEARN: In what way was Jesus' mission as the

Messiah dependent upon the Spirit?

Matt. 1:18-21



Mark 1:9, 10



Luke 4



Matt. 12:24-32



Heb. 9:14, 15



Rom. 8:9-11



In what significant way did the work of the Holy Spirit on earth

change after Jesus returned to heaven? John 14:26; 16:7-14.

Herein lies a paradox. In departing, Christ could send the Spirit to bring

Himself to be present everywhere. Cumbered with humanity, Christ no

longer had omnipresence. This is why it was expedient that He depart.

Rather than be limited to one place at a time, through the Spirit He could be

everywhere all the time. With this in mind, Jesus said, "I will ask the Fa-

ther, and He will give you another Counselor . . . the Spirit of truth. . . . I

will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:16-18, NIV).

What new names are given to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament?

John 14:16, 17.

In the New Testament age the Holy Spirit brings Christ to people in a way

not done before. Incarnation has made a decisive difference to God's Son.

Now He is human forever. His life and death have made a decisive differ-

ence to us. What He has wrought out for us needs now to be applied within

us. The Spirit does not add to what Christ has done any more than a mailman

adds to the letter he delivers. There still is only one name "given among

men whereby we must be saved," and that is Jesus (Acts 4:12). It still is true

about Jesus, that " 'no one comes to the Father except through me' " (John

14:6, NIV). The Spirit does not apply Christ's work to people on earth—He

brings Christ Himself to make the application.

What part does the Holy Spirit have in interceding for us before the

throne of God? How does this indicate His love for us? Rom. 8:26, 27.

IV. THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN US.

John 14, 15, and 16 record Christ's description of the work of the Holy

Spirit. He is called the Spirit of truth (chap. 14:17), who will be sent in

Jesus' name (verse 26) to dwell with and in the disciples (verse 17).

ILLUMINATION:

"During the patriarchal age the influence of the Holy

Spirit had often been revealed in a marked manner, but never in its fullness.

"The Spirit came [at Pentecost] upon the waiting praying disciples with a

fullness that reached every heart. The Infinite One revealed Himself in

power to His church. It was as if for ages His influence had been held in

restraint, and now Heaven rejoiced in being able to pour out upon the church

the riches of the Spirit's grace.

"—The Acts of the Apostles,

pp. 37, 38.

When John the Baptist pointed forward to Jesus' ministry what did

He predict about Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Matt. 3:11.

Not until Jesus won back the world from the hands of the usurper by His

death, could He pour out the Spirit upon that recovered world. In fact, the

acceptance of His sacrifice also was a prerequisite. John states, "Up to that

time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified"

(John 7:39, NIV). This would take place after His ascension. Yet, already,

WED

during the forty post-resurrection days, He breathed the Spirit on them. (See

John 20:22). He could not wait. But not until Pentecost, fifty days after

Calvary, did the fullness come. Then the new age burst forth with all the

power of the Spirit's presence. "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a

wind came from Heaven and filled the whole house where they [the disci-

ples] were sitting. . . . All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts

2:2, 4.)

How extensive is the Spirit's ministry for us today?

The Holy Spirit is involved in every part of our Christian experience.

When we come to God it is because the Spirit has been working on our

hearts to give us the desire to learn about God and to live as God wishes us to

live. When we want to learn more about God through the Bible and ask for

understanding, then the Holy Spirit guides us to the texts we should study,

helps us gain a clear understanding through our study and through divine

impressions of what the texts mean, and helps us apply to our lives what we

have read. He then gives us strength to live the truths we have learned.

When we feel sorry for our sins and repent it is because the Holy Spirit has

been working. Whatever we understand about God and Jesus, we under-

stand more fully because the Holy Spirit, in a gentle, self-effacing way, has

been doing the work that He was commissioned to do for each person.

What is the result of the Spirit's ministry in our lives? Gal. 5:22-25.

What greater blessing can we expect in the near future when we yield

our hearts completely to the work of the Holy Spirit? Joel 2:23, 28.

V. THE SPIRIT'S WORK THROUGH US.

Just before Jesus ascended what instructions did He give His disci-

ples? What were they commissioned to do once they received the prom-

ised power of the Holy Spirit? Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.

Besides working with Christ's disciples, enabling them to fulfill their

commission, the Holy Spirit would be present among the unconverted, re-

proving them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8).

Spiritual Gifts.

The Holy Spirit also strengthens the church and individ-

uals through spiritual gifts, some of which are spectacular in nature, while

others are less dramatic but equally essential. Several of the gifts of the

Spirit are mentioned in Ephesians 4:11: "And he gave some, apostles; and

some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."

(See also Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28-31; 13:1-3.)

Are spiritual gifts given only to benefit individuals? If not, then what

is the broader purpose of the gifts? Eph. 4:12, 13.

What is the greatest gift? 1 Cor. 13:13.

THINK IT THROUGH: What is the major purpose of this greatest

spiritual gift? What are some practical ways in which I can exercise it?

Jesus offered Himself "through the eternal Spirit" at Calvary (Heb. 9:14,

15). Christ and the Spirit were together in this work. From birth to death the

two worked together. Jesus was dependent upon the Spirit to enable Him to

function fully as a man while at the same time retaining His divine integrity.

His dependent humanity necessitated this. At Pentecost the risen Christ con-

tinued to be dependent upon the Spirit; no longer dependent for

power

but

dependent for

presence.

The Spirit brings Christ to willing people every-

where.

How does the Holy Spirit join in the work of Christ portrayed in

Revelation 22:17?

Mentioned in both the first few and last few verses of the Bible, the Holy

Spirit has been active in Creation, incarnation, and redemption. As Jesus'

personal representative, He does for people whatever Jesus would do if He

Himself were physically present.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Study carefully the following

passages to gain deeper insight into why we must have the Holy Spirit with

us and in us: John 3:1-8; Rom. 8:1-16.

Read the chapter entitled, "The Gift of the Spirit" in

The Acts of the

Apostles,

pp. 47-55, and the chapter entitled, "Nicodemus" in

The Desire

of Ages,

pp. 167-177.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

To the adherents of many religious organiza-

tions today, the nature and work of the Holy Spirit are obscure. The contem-

porary emphasis among charismatics focuses on the Holy Spirit's works,

especially the gift of tongues. It is important to consider the Person of the

Holy Spirit along with His works, for who He is checks overemphasis on

His gifts. The Spirit always is more important than His gifts, because He is

the source of them. He dwells within us so that He might use us, not so that

we might use Him.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

Discover what the

person to whom you are witnessing believes about the Holy Spirit.

Charismatics need to be shown with love and kindness the error of believing

that a person is not a first-class Christian unless he speaks in tongues. Point

out that Peter, the speaker at Pentecost, never once refers to speaking in

tongues after the experience related in Acts 2. In only three of Paul's one

hundred chapters is the subject mentioned (see 1 Cor. 12-14) and certainly

not in support of the phenomenon current in Corinth. He warns against the

same problem faced by modern charismatics. Paul teaches that all gifts are

given for the benefit of the church as a whole, not merely to benefit the

individual. No one person has every gift. (See 1 Cor. 12:27-31.) Paul de-

clares that he would rather speak five words with understanding than ten

thousand words in an unknown tongue. (See 1 Cor. 14:19.).

SUMMARY:

Please summarize this lesson in your own words:

APPLICATION

Am I walking after the flesh or after the Spirit?

Do I pray earnestly daily for the power of the Spirit to possess my

life and to use me in God's work?

What Happened to Our

Bible Book Studies?

The Bible book curriculum has been in-

terrupted in order to make it possible

for the world church to review the

fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day

Adventists. We resume our study of the

Bible books beginning with the first

quarter of

1989.

God TellOs Us

glow He Created

MEMORY TEXT: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens

made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." "For

he spake and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast"

(Psalm 33:6, 9).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "Creation.

God is Creator of all things, and has

revealed in Scripture the authentic account of His creative activity. In six

days the Lord made 'the heaven and the earth' and all living things upon the

earth, and rested on the seventh day of that first week. Thus He established

the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of His completed creative work. The

first man and woman were made in the image of God as the crowning work

of Creation, given dominion over the world, and charged with responsibility

to care for it. When the world was finished it was 'very good,' declaring the

glory of God. "—Fundamental Belief No. 6.

OUTLINE:

The Entire Bible Teaches Special Creation.

II.

Creation in Six Days.

III.

The Crowning Act of Creation.

IV.

The Sabbath Testifies to Creation.

The Greatest Evidence for Special Creation.

INTRODUCTION:

Science is at its best when it deals with things that are

happening right now, or at least can be made to happen now. But when we

get into the area of the origin of matter and life, we go beyond the limits of

the scientific method. Even if a scientist were able to produce a three-toed

dinosaur out of primordial soup, he still would not have proved conclusively

that this was the way dinosaurs initially came into being.

In the long run the choice between which theory of origins we accept boils

down to the question of basic assumptions. Here creationists have the ad-

vantage. The Bible record of the creation of life comes from the Creator

Himself. He

was

there. He made it happen.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of

God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do

appear" (Heb. 11:3). Because it is impossible to prove scientifically how

and when the earth originated, it is "through faith" that we discern the hand

of God in Creation.

I. THE ENTIRE BIBLE TEACHES SPECIAL CREATION.

The book of Genesis begins with a brief survey of God's special creation.

,13

Who is the subject of the first statement in the Bible? Gen. 1:1.

The triune Godhead worked together to create the heaven and the earth.

The Holy Spirit's part is, indicated in verse 2, and the participation of all

three members of the Godhead is implied in verse 26.

SEARCH AND LEARN: Psalm 33:6, 9 mentions God speaking the

world into existence. What does the New Testament indicate about

which member of the Godhead spoke the worlds into existence?

John 1:1-3



1 Cor 8



Col. 1:13-17



Heb. 1:1, 2, 8-10



(See also

The Desire of Ages,

pp. 269, 270.)

How did the psalmists testify to the truth of the Bible record of Spe-

cial Creation? Psalms 8:3, 4; 136:5-9; 148:4, 5.

Isaiah joins the ranks of those who testify to the accuracy of the Creation

record when he speaks of "the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the

heavens" (Isa. 51:13). Jeremiah adds, "He hath made the earth by his

power" (Jer. 10:12). Amos tells us that the Lord formed the mountains and

created the winds. (See Amos 4:13.) Malachi concludes the Old Testament

witness to the Genesis account by asking, "Hath not one God created us?"

(Mal. 2:10).

What did Jesus say that fully supports the Genesis record? Matt.

19:4.

The earth is a minute portion of God's creation. "For by him were all

things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and

invisible" (Col. 1:16). The author of Hebrews states that "he made the

worlds" (Heb. 1:2). Whether these other worlds are inhabited is not stated

specifically in the Scriptures, but it is implied in the gathering of the "sons

of God" in Job 1 and in the Biblical concept of vindicating God's rule and

justice before the universe in the judgment (Daniel 7). It is difficult to be-

lieve that ours is the only inhabited planet in God's great universe. Even

evolutionary scientists speculate that intelligent life exists on other planets.

II. CREATION IN SIX DAYS.

In spite of attempts to harmonize the Creation record in Genesis with

OINCORaGd

How

August

belief in long ages during which creation came about progressively, only the

acceptance of Genesis 1 as an outline of what actually took place during six

24-hour days can harmonize with the full Bible account.

NOTICE how the chart that follows outlines a basic plan for Creation.

The first three days gave "form" to Creation and the last three days

gave "fullness" to the "form."

Genesis 1.2—GOD CREATED

Formed

Elements

Filled

Day 1

(verses 3-5)

Divided light from

darkness

LIGHT

Day 4

(verses 14-19

Light sources seen

in the firmament

Day 2

(verses 6-8)

Made firmament

then divided

waters from the

waters

FIRMAMENT

WATER

Day 5

(verses 20-23)

Fowl in firmament

Water creatures in sea

Day 3

(verses 9-13)

Divided waters

from land

Vegetation created

EARTH

VEGETATION

Day 6

(verses 24-31)

Animals, man on

earth

Vegetation for

food

Day 7—GOD RESTED (Gen. 2:1-3)

At the beginning of Creation week the earth was empty, without

form, covered with water, and enshrouded in darkness. What was its

condition at the end of the first three days? (Review the center column.)

What happened "in the firmament" on the fourth day of Creation

week? What was the significance of what took place?

Gen. 1:14-19.

Because the Bible implies the existence of other worlds (see Heb. 1:2;

11:3), it is not unreasonable to assume that some of the stars referred to in

Genesis 1:16 (and that could include our own sun) existed before the cre-

ation of this world. However, speculation on this could obscure Moses' pri-

mary thrust in the Creation record, namely, that God also created the light-

giving bodies.

Summarize the creative act of the fifth day of Creation week. Gen.

1:20-23.

The blessing "Be fruitful, and multiply" was realized as the earth began

to be filled. The genealogies and the nations are ample evidence of the ful-

fillment of God's benediction.

What three categories of land animals were created on the sixth day

before God's crowning act of Creation? Gen. 1:24, 25.

What is important to note here is that these verses contradict in a most

decided way the concept that there was a long evolutionary development

which many geologists claim they find in the fossil record. Notice that they

were brought forth simultaneously at the command of God. Also notice that

the order of listing places insects last rather than before amphibians, rep-

tiles, and mammals as the evolutionary hypothesis insists.

What is significant about the statement in verse 25 that "God saw

that it was good"?

Evolution is based on the concept of the survival of the fittest and the law

of tooth, fang, and claw. But there were no predators and there was no

killing in Eden before the Fall. At this point Earth was ready for humankind

to be created. It did not take billions of years before God crowned Creation

by calling forth the human race.

III. THE CROWNING ACT OF CREATION.

The first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, were made in the image

of God as the crowning work of Creation. (See Gen. 1:26, 27.) They were

given dominion over the world and charged with the responsibility to care

for it. (See verses 28-30.) When the work of Creation was finished, God

declared that it was "very good" (verse 31).

What do the words

our image

and

our likeness

indicate? Gen. 1:26,

27; James 3:9.

ILLUMINATION:

"Created to be 'the image and glory of God' (1 Corin-

thians 11:7), Adam and Eve had received endowments not unworthy of their

high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in form, regular and beautiful in

feature, their countenances glowing with the tint of health and the light of

joy and hope, they bore in outward resemblance the likeness of their Maker.

Nor was this likeness manifest in the physical nature only. Every faculty of

mind and soul reflected the Creator's glory

"—Education,

p. 20.

God created Adam and Eve in His own image with the capability of en-

joying fellowship with Him. When the obedience and allegiance that belong

to the Creator alone were yielded to Satan in Eden, the harmonious relation-

ship between God and humans was broken.

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How disastrous was the entry of sin to all of God's earthly creation?

Rom. 5:12, 17, 19.

Because of the effects of sin, it is only through special revelation that

human beings, with the help of the Holy Spirit, can interpret correctly

nature's message relative to the origin of our world and the character of its

Creator.

IV. THE SABBATH TESTIFIES TO CREATION.

The Bible links Creation directly with the seventh-day Sabbath, which

was instituted as a memorial of Creation by the Creator Himself at the end of

the literal Creation week (Gen. 2:1-3). The faithful observance of the Sab-

bath is commanded by God and serves as a continual reminder of the Creator

and Creation week.

What is the significance to us today of the three means God chose to

designate the first Sabbath? Gen. 2:2, 3.

ILLUMINATION:

"In Eden, God set up the memorial of His work of

creation, in placing His blessing upon the seventh day. The Sabbath was

committed to Adam, the father and representative of the whole human fam-

ily. Its observance was to be an act of grateful acknowledgement, on the part

of all who should dwell upon the earth, that God was their Creator and their

rightful Sovereign; that they were the work of His hands and the subjects of

His authority. Thus the institution was wholly commemorative, and given to

all mankind. There was nothing in it shadowy or of restricted application to

any people.

"—Patriarchs and Prophets,

p. 48.

SEARCH AND LEARN: How does the Bible relate the Sabbath to the

events of Creation week?

Ex. 20:8-11



Ex. 31:16, 17



Mark 2:27, 28



Heb 4



(See also

The Desire of Ages,

pp. 769, 770.)

Those who wish to harmonize the Creation account of six days with long

evolutionary periods are at a loss to explain the fourth commandment and

how a weekly Sabbath in literal seven-day cycles could be based on long

periods for the events of Creation week.

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Lesson

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V. THE GREATEST EVIDENCE FOR SPECIAL CREATION.

Among the strongest evidences for the belief that there is a Creator is the

harmony that scientists have discovered to be operating in the universe and

the tremendous complexity of life itself. Logic and reason protest against the

possibility that a complex organism such as the human body with its large

number of intricately related systems and functions could have come into

existence through the working of blind chance. The concept of evolution

proposes that all complex forms of life developed from simple living cells.

Although this idea is accepted almost universally today, it has not been and

cannot be scientifically demonstrated or established. It takes a much smaller

leap of faith to believe the Bible story of Creation than to believe the origin

of life as outlined by evolution.

But an even more telling reason for accepting the Bible teaching on ori-

gins is the principle of love and benevolence wrapped up in the Special

Creation story. The God of love not only created and sustains, but also re-

creates sinners in His own image when they accept His sacrifice for them.

(See Col. 1:17; John 3:14-17.)

What is the Creator able to do for us today that demonstrates Cre-

ation power still is at work in our world? Rom. 8:11-16; 1 John 3:1, 2.

If we owed our origin to primordial ooze or an impossible accident of

nature, then we would not need a Saviour. There is no basic compatibility

between evolution, which assumes that humanity is getting better and better,

and our Lord's command that we must be born again. Dr. Dan Gilbert used

to tell audiences about the atheist's club he joined while he was in college.

Its motto was: "Sons of apes don't need a Saviour." The evolutionary hy-

pothesis is irreconcilable with the Bible account of Creation, Fall, and salva-

tion through Christ.

Where is the era of evolutionary science leading? Many believe it will end

in environmental or nuclear destruction of the earth.

How will the Genesis story of creation finally end for those who love

the One who sacrificed Himself on Calvary? 2 Peter 3:13, 14; Rev. 21:

3-5.

When it comes to deciding on concepts of origin, we need to keep the

future in mind. When we do we will see that there is no contest. There is a

heaven to win. Our future well-being rests in the hands of our loving Cre-

ator.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Read the chapter entitled

"The Creation" in

Patriarchs and Prophets,

pp. 44-51. Using a concor-

dance, search out the texts using the word "Creation" and "Creator."

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

Few of the world's inhabitants believe the

Creation story as outlined in Scripture. Most of the world's leading thinkers

and scientists, even Christian thinkers, hold to some sort of evolutionary

tifal

concept. One view is theistic evolution, or progressive creation, which

teaches that God was involved through natural processes over long periods

of time in bringing our world into being. Another view is the dualistic theory

that matter has eternity of existence just as God does. The emanation theory

sees the universe as the same substance as God, issuing from Him during an

evolving process. The concept of spontaneous generation suggests that un-

der right conditions matter can generate new forms with new functions.

Such views do not do justice to the biblical account of the difference be-

tween Creator and creature, or the record that God was not dependent upon

pre-existing matter in His acts of creation.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

An understanding of

the Creation doctrine is fundamental to Seventh-day Adventist belief. It is

closely related to the doctrine of the Sabbath. Do not argue with the people

with whom you are studying. Calmly and prayerfully present the principles

taught in this lesson. Be sure to relate Creation with Christ's work of re-

creation.

SUMMARY: Our Lord was not dependent upon preexisting matter to create

planet Earth. (See Heb. 11:3.) The universe was created by Christ, the eter-

nally self-existent God. Creation of our world occurred during six literal

days, followed by a twenty-four hour Sabbath memorial. The Creation doc-

trine is the foundation upon which rests the sovereignty of God. Christ's

love for humankind exhibited in the re-creation process is the greatest evi-

dence that special creation took place as recorded in Genesis.

APPLICATION

•

Does the Creation account in Scripture give me a sense of security,

making it possible for me to know who I am and where I came from?

•

Am I willing to allow Christ to re-create in me a new heart by the

Holy Spirit, and to use me to lead others to Him?

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47 47

God Telllls Us

About Oursehres

MEMORY TEXT: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made

him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with

glory and honour" (Psalm 8:4, 5).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Nature of Man.

Man and woman were

made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to

think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of

body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else.

When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon

Him and fell from their high position under God. The image of God in them

was marred and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this

fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and ten-

dencies to evil. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by

His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created for

the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another, and to care

for their environment. "—Fundamental Belief, No. 7.

OUTLINE:

Human Nature Before the Fall.

II.

The Fall of Our First Parents.

HI. Human Nature Since the Fall.

IV.

How Christ Changes Human Nature.

Glorified Human Nature.

INTRODUCTION:

As we view our world today and note the way people

treat one another, there are many questions that come into our minds. Why

is there so much distrust and hatred between nations, between classes in

society, between rich and poor, between races, and between people who

have differing philosophies and lifestyles?

Why is there conflict within families? Why do so many marriages break

up? Why do children and parents become irreconcilably antagonistic to each

other?

Some evolutionists in particular, believe that our world is bound to im-

prove. They picture humanity gradually evolving from the primitive to the

cultured. Human nature, they think, will improve with education, so that

eventually world society will enjoy universal brotherhood. Economic, ra-

cial, national, and religious barriers will be torn down, and all will live in

peace and contentment.

This is not the Bible picture. Scripture reveals the reverse taking place.

g 8

Humans who were created perfect fell into sin. Apart from Christ their de-

scendants progressively will decline spiritually, morally, and physically un-

til the Lord brings the process to an end. Is there any hope that fallen human

bein0 can rise again to the image of God and enjoy a life of uninterrupted

purity and peace? That is what this lesson is about.

I. HUMAN NATURE BEFORE THE FALL.

How does the Bible describe the state of the first human beings to

inhabit our world? Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7; Heb. 2:7, 8.

Because Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, they were

spiritually, intellectually, and physically perfect. There was nothing in hu-

man nature, as it came from the hand of the Creator, that was predisposed to

sin. Adam and Eve had no tendency to evil. They loved God and enjoyed the

best fellowship with Him. Their love for each other was free from any taint

of selfishness or evil passion. They were perfect individuals in a perfect

world. As long as they remained in perfect union with their Creator no sin,

sickness, or death could mar their happiness.

ILLUMINATION:

"Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a

well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God.

His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. . . . In his sinless state, man held

joyful communion with Him 'in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge.' Colossians 2:3.

"-Steps to Christ,

p. 17.

"Man was to bear God's image, both in outward resemblance and in

character."—Patriarchs and Prophets,

p. 45.

"God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no

bias toward

evil."—Patriarchs and Prophets,

p. 49.

What event after Adam and Eve had sinned indicates that previously

they had enjoyed face-to-face communion with God? Gen. 3:8, 9.

Sin always separates from God. (See Isa. 59:2.) Since the Fall, no human

being can see God's face and live (see Ex. 33:20), because God's presence

is a consuming fire to sinful beings. But before their fall, Adam and Eve

were entirely free from sin. They could speak with God face to face without

the slightest fear. They constantly received life from the divine life. They

suffered no degeneration of any kind, and never had a desire to disobey

God.

What indication do we have that all races of mankind originated from

the same roots? Acts 17:24-28.

II. THE FALL OF OUR FIRST PARENTS.

Human nature today is not what it was when God first created it. Because

MON

God gave them the power of choice, Adam and Eve could have chosen to

continue serving God, or they could have chosen to disobey Him. Because

they chose to disobey Him, they lost their original state of perfection. As a

consequence, their children were born with fallen natures that tended toward

evil. That is how distrust, hatred, lust, and selfishness of all kinds came into

our world.

Because of Adam and Eve's fall, human bodies and minds degenerate as

they grow older and death is experienced by all human beings.

How do we know that God gave our first parents the power of choice?

Gen. 2:16, 17.

If Adam and Eve had not had the power of choice it would have been

unnecessary for God to warn them of the danger of. disobedience. If they had

not had the power of choice it would have been unjust for God to punish

them when they decided to sin. In fact, if they did not have the power of

choice they would not have been able to sin. They would have served God

because they were forced to, not because they chose to. That kind of service

is unacceptable to God. He wants the willing obedience of loving beings.

Throughout history God has continually emphasized that He will accept

only service from those who love Him. (See Deut. 6:5, 6; 10:12; 11:1; Josh.

22:5; John 14:15.)

What unvarying law did God present to Adam and Eve when He

warned them of the danger of disobedience? Rom. 6:23; Eze. 18:4.

The sin of Adam and Eve was that they distrusted God's word. Such

distrust is a lapse from love. If they had retained their love for God, they

would never have doubted His word, and Satan's lies would have been re-

pulsive to them.

Speaking through the serpent, what lie did Satan present to Eve?

What wrong choice did Adam and Eve make? Gen. 3:1-7.

(See

Patriarchs and Prophets,

pp. 55, 56.)

III. HUMAN NATURE SINCE THE FALL.

The results of Adam and Eve's choice have been devastating for our

world. Not only did Adam and Eve experience a change of nature but also it

became inevitable that their children would be born with tendencies to evil.

They would gradually decline in physical and mental vigor and eventually

die. If our first parents had never sinned, they and their children would have

enjoyed never-ending life.

SEARCH AND LEARN: Indicate what the following Bible passages

teach regarding the nature of man since the Fall:

Gen. 3:19, 22



Psalm 51



Psalm 58



Rom. 5:12-19



Rom. 7:15-23



Eph. 2:1-5



A number of truths regarding the nature of fallen humanity are contained

in these and other similar passages of Scripture:

Life for every fallen human being is confined to a limited period of

time. During that time there will be gradual physical and mental deteriora-

tion.

From the moment of conception each individual is a new soul in need of

a Saviour. This does not mean that anyone is born guilty. It simply means

that human beings inherit a spiritually fallen nature.

In the absence of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, the life of

each individual will be controlled by Satan. There is no neutral territory in

the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Fallen human nature is a

fruitful field for the evil one to work. People who have not been transformed

by the Spirit of God are instruments of unrighteousness. (See Rom. 6:13.)

ILLUMINATION:

"The result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of

good and evil is manifest in every man's experience. There is in his nature a

bent to evil, a force which, unaided, he cannot resist. To withstand this

force, to attain that ideal which in his inmost soul he accepts as alone wor-

thy, he can find help in but one power. That power is Christ.

"—Education,

p. 29.

How does the Bible describe the condition of the fallen human being

who has chosen to go on living in sin? Eph. 2:12; Psalm. 66:18; Isa.

64:7.

The Epistle of Jude and 2 Peter 2 give a vivid description of people who

have allowed Satan to use their fallen humanity to accomplish his demonic

designs. They are like "natural brute beasts." They "speak evil of the

things that they understand not" (2 Peter 2:12)'. They "count it pleasure to

riot in the day time. . . . Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease

from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covet-

ous practices; cursed children" (verses 13, 14). Satan really makes sport of

those who give in to their fallen natures.

ILLUMINATION:

"Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is un-

der the control of another power. He is not his own. He may talk of freedom,

but he is in the most abject slavery. He is not allowed to see the beauty of

truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan. While he flatters himself

WED

that he is following the dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the

prince of darkness. Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the

soul."—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 466.

IV. HOW CHRIST CHANGES HUMAN NATURE.

The best news for humanity in every era of history has been that, because

of His death on the cross, Jesus Christ is able to deliver from the bondage of

sin and create transformed natures.

How complete is the transformation that Jesus produces in the life of

one who accepts Him? 2 Cor. 5:17, 21; Rom. 6:17, 18, 22.

The Lord's plan is that the old life of sinning should be replaced by a life

of commitment to His righteousness. This can happen only if the mind and

heart of the individual are purified. Only Christ can accomplish this. Educa-

tion, culture, the force of the human will may play a part. But, in the final

analysis, only when Christ transforms the heart is there possibility of con-

tinuing, joyful obedience to the will of God. (See

Steps to Christ,

p. 18.)

Then habits and practices that once were part of an individual's lifestyle are

given up because they are not consistent with the will of Christ.

By what means does Jesus bring about the change in an individual's

nature? 1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5-7.

Jesus' message to Nicodemus applies here: "Except a man be born again,

he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . Except a man be born of water and of

the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. . . . Ye must be born

again" (John 3:3-7). The work of the Holy Spirit on mind and heart pro-

duces a new creature in Christ Jesus.

What is a person like after being transformed by Christ? 1 John 4:7,

8, 11, 20, 21.

Christ's transforming work by the Holy Spirit changes bitter, prejudiced,

dishonest, immoral sinners into loving and lovable Christians. This is the

solution to the problems in homes, in society, in the nation, and between

nations. Christ's love received into the heart by the Holy Spirit is the only

effective answer to the great need of our world.

What kind of continual struggle does the transformed individual

have? 1 Cor. 9:27; Gal. 5:16-18.

Born-again Christians are not free from temptation. They remain fallen

human beings, whom the devil constantly tries to persuade to capitulate to

their human tendencies. Insofar as they constantly yield themselves to the

power of Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to control their thoughts, feelings,

THU

and desires, they have victory through His power. (See 1 John 5:3-5.)

ILLUMINATION:

"The Christian's life is not a modification or improve-

ment of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and

sin, and new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the

effectual working of the Holy Spirit."—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 172. (See

also p. 176.)

"Paul's sanctification was a constant conflict with self. Said he:



die

daily.' His will and his desires every day conflicted with duty and the will of

God. Instead of following inclination, he did the will of God, however un-

pleasant and crucifying to his

nature."—Testimonies,

vol. 4, p. 299.

V. GLORIFIED HUMAN NATURE.

When will human nature finally be free from the results of sin? 1 Cor.

15:21-23, 42-49; Rom. 8:19-23.

Only when Jesus comes will the effects of sin be removed completely

from our bodies and minds. Victory over sin is God's ideal and expectation

for His children now. (See Rev. 2:7, 17, 26; 3:21;

Christ's Object Lessons,

p. 312.) But freedom from the disadvantages of fallen humanity and from

temptation to sin will not be a reality until at Jesus' coming this

"corruptible" puts on "incorruption," and this "mortal" puts on

"immortality." (See 1 Cor. 15:51-54.)

What kind of bodies and minds will be given the redeemed at Jesus'

second advent? Phil. 3:20, 21; Isa. 33:24; Rev. 21:3-5.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Study what Paul means by

"the new man" and "the old man." Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:1-10.

What happens when the "old man" dies? Who is the new man? Compare

Romans 7:1-6. Look at the texts in various translations.

Read the chapter entitled "The Temptation and Fall" in

Patriarchs and

Prophets,

pp. 52-62;

The Great Controversy,

p. 677.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

In contemporary society there is general rejec-

tion of the concept of the fallen nature of man. The idea that happiness and

success may be achieved by developing the goodness within ourselves is

popularly promoted in sermons and seminars. Self-dependence reduces a

person's awareness of his need of the Saviour, and he becomes divorced

from the source of his power.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

Important though it

is to convince a person that he or she inherited fallen nature from our first

parents, it is more important to uphold Christ as the One who can bring

transformation and victory. A teaspoon of sugar attracts more bees

than a barrel of vinegar. The vision of Christ suffering upon the cross for

human sin provides the greatest insight into the human condition and the

need of His love.

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists believe that God created humanity

spiritually, mentally, and physically perfect. The imperfection now so prev-

alent in the human race resulted from the choice of our first parents to dis-

obey God, and the choices of their descendants to persist in sin. Since then

all humanity has suffered the effects of sin and death. By His death on the

cross, Jesus Christ earned the right to transform fallen human beings making

them new creatures who have victory over sin, and in whose hearts His love

reigns.

APPLICATION

o Am I willing to admit to myself that I inherited a fallen, sinful hu-

man nature from my first parents, Adam and Eve?

Do I really believe that Christ can make me a new creature who has

victory over sin and grace to work for others?

The Caring Church

"Good deeds are the fruit that Christ re-

quires us to bear. Kind words, deeds of be-

nevolence, of tender regard for the poor,

the needy, the afflicted. When hearts sym-

pathize with hearts burdened with dis-

couragement and grief, when the hand

dispenses to the needy, when the naked

are clothed, the stranger made welcome to

his seat in your parlor and a place in your

home, angels are coming very near and an

answering strain is responded to in

heaven."—Welfare Ministry, p. 35.

God Gives Us

A Wogild View

MEMORY TEXT: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and

his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and

his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any

more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old ser-

pent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole

world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out

with him" (Rev. 12:7-9).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Great Controversy.

All humanity is now

involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the char-

acter of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict

originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of

choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God's adversary, and led into rebel-

lion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this

world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin resulted in the

distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created

world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the worldwide flood. Ob-

served by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal

conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To

assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the

loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation."—

Fundamental Belief No. 8.

OUTLINE:

Where Sin Began.

II.

The Cosmic Conflict Extended to Earth.

HI. The Bible's Cosmic World View.

IV.

Why Did Jesus Come?

The Cosmic Issue.

INTRODUCTION:

Why do rosebuds exist side by side with thorns? Why

do animals kill and eat one another? Why do people in some parts of the

world have too much food while people in other parts are starving? Why

does an innocent child die in an automobile accident while the guilty,

drunken driver escapes unharmed?

These questions have been asked in a variety of forms ever since man

sinned. Philosophers have offered a variety of answers. Atheists, who hold

that the world and all forms of life started by chance, suggest that good and

evil are in a kind of "survival of the fittest" competition; eventually only

one will survive. Others have suggested that at least two gods govern the

world; one is good, the other evil. But such answers are inadequate. The

77k

UZI

SUN

question of what our world is all about and why it is blighted with evil

basically comes down to the question of our world view.

I. WHERE SIN BEGAN.

The true world view is found only in the Bible. According to the Holy

Scriptures, many thousands of years ago, before this world was created, evil

originated mysteriously in the heart of Lucifer, the most exalted of the an-

gels in heaven. The fault was not God's, for Lucifer was created perfect.

(See Eze. 28:15.)

Why was Lucifer dissatisfied with his status? Isa. 14:12-14.

Lucifer permitted envious thoughts to control him. He should have recog-

nized that as a created being he had no right to the respect and worship

accorded deity. Instead he harbored evil thoughts, even confiding them to

his angel companions. He asked questions designed to sow seeds of dissatis-

faction.

"Don't you think that heaven is too tightly structured? I don't see why

holy beings need laws. I don't think God loves us as He claims; He gets

satisfaction out of issuing commands. He's unjust and unfair."

These kinds of suggestions continued until one third of the angels were

committed to Lucifer. Misled by his siren song, they felt that he could set up

a government superior to God's. With infinite patience God attempted to

explain His actions—to persuade Lucifer and his sympathizers to abandon

the disastrous course they were following. He attempted to make clear that

heaven's laws, grounded in love, were essential to happiness. But Lucifer

and his fellow rebels refused to accept God's explanations or to respond to

His entreaties.

God did not at once destroy Lucifer and his followers. He gave them time

and opportunity to show whether their charges against His character and law

were justified.

What strange event then took place in heaven? What happened to

Lucifer (now called Satan) and the angels who took his side? Rev. 12:

7-9.

II. THE COSMIC CONFLICT EXTENDED TO EARTH.

On earth, God created the first human pair, Adam and Eve, and placed

them in the Garden of Eden.

What simple test of character did God set up through which Adam

and Eve could demonstrate their loyalty to Him? Gen. 2:16, 17.

GOd warned that disobedience would bring death. Satan saw this as an

opportunity to tempt the first humans to eat the forbidden fruit and join him

in rebellion. Tragically and incredibly, Adam and Eve yielded to Satan's

temptation. In mercy God spared their lives so that they might have opportu-

nity to repent, but the penalty for breaking God's law had to be met. Thus

God offered His own Son to come to this earth and die, taking the place of

sinners.

What happy ending did God promise to the continuing conflict be-

tween good and evil? Gen. 3:15.

As time passed, the effects of sin became more and more evident, not

only in the human race but in all of nature. The principles advocated by

Satan, at first but dimly seen as dangerous, bore a harvest of evil fruit.

Nineteen centuries ago, when Satan inspired human beings to murder Jesus,

the beings in other worlds saw clearly that God was right and Satan was

wrong. The inhabitants of heaven and the unfallen worlds saw that God is

love and that His law is just and necessary. But to give the inhabitants of our

world ample opportunity to understand the issues in the great controversy

between Christ and Satan and to choose whose side they wanted to join, God

permitted the sin drama to continue.

Today the conflict is nearing its close. With great urgency the Holy Spirit

and the angels of heaven are seeking to help people choose God's side—

even to put loyalty to God, righteousness, and truth above life itself. The

Bible makes it clear that the ultimate outcome will be complete victory for

God and the vindication of His character and law. Until that day of victory,

good and evil will continue side by side. Today supernatural forces are con-

tinuing the deadly warfare begun long ago in heaven. Planet Earth is the

battlefield.

III. THE BIBLE'S COSMIC WORLD VIEW

Chronologically the first book of the Bible is Job, not Genesis. Whereas

Genesis is Planet-Earth centered, introducing us to the creation of the world

and everything in it, the book of Job is cosmic-centered. It is concerned with

the universe as a whole. Already in the sixth verse of the first chapter it soars

beyond Planet Earth to a cosmic united nations. "Now there was a day when

the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also

came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'Whence have you come?' Satan

answered the Lord, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking

up and down on it' " (Job 1:6, 7, RSV). These "sons of God" apparently

were leaders from other inhabited worlds. Satan appeared as the usurper

leader of Planet Earth.

What did Christ have to say to Satan about Job? Job 1:8-12; 2:1-7.

With the cosmic conflict in mind, Christ said: "Satan, look at Job. He

keeps my law. He is perfect!" To which Satan countered, "Yes, but he's

perfect because it pays to serve you. Don't you protect him?" (See Job 1:9,

10.) Christ then allowed Satan to do what he wanted to Job in order to test

TRUE

him, short of taking his life. The remainder of the book of Job gives insight

into human history from the larger view of what is happening throughout

God's universe.

Since Adam and Eve yielded to Satan's temptations, sin has characterized

what has been going on in the world. Sin involves a broken relationship

between created beings and God as well as transgression of God's laws.

Satan broke faith with God. So did Adam and Eve when they ignored God's

command not to eat of the fruit in Eden. (See Gen. 3:3-6.) The plan of

salvation outlined in the Bible restores the broken relationship between God

and humanity, leading instead to the happiness that comes from obedience

to the laws of the universe. When we truly love God we will love to do what

He knows is best. " 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments,' "

Jesus says in John 14:15, RSV. At the close of the cosmic controversy all

humans will admit, "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Al-

mighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. . . . For you alone are

holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts

have been revealed" (Rev. 15:3, 4, NIV).

In• a lawless age like ours—a time when absolutes are being thrown to the

winds, when divorce gives license to sin, and when both international and

personal agreements lie shattered in shreds—it is time to look beyond our

desperate, feeble world to a God who loves the unfallen universe, yet left it,

to save this one prodigal planet.

IV. WHY DID JESUS COME?

What did Jesus give up and what did He gain by coming to the world

and dying for us? Phil. 2:5-11.

The basic question answered by the Bible world view is "Why did Jesus

come to this planet?" Seventh-day Adventists believe that the cross of Jesus

has universal, as well as local planet, significance. Jesus came to live and

die for more than our salvation. Much more was at stake. He came to answer

a charge against the justice of God that preceded our human need for salva-

tion. Even before the creation of this world, Satan's rebellion took place.

After the creation of this world, Satan claimed that it is impossible for cre-

ated beings to keep God's law. This is one of the main reasons why the

member of the Godhead we know as Jesus became a human being. Jesus

demonstrated that human beings

can

keep the law of God.

How was Satan's charge proved to be wrong? Rom. 5:17-21.

In order to demonstrate the possibility of living a sin-free life, Jesus had to

live as a human being on earth, and not as a God. Satan had no quarrel with

the fact that God could keep His own law. He focused on created beings.

Jesus lived as a man, having emptied Himself of the use of His divine pow-

ers while here on earth, yet remaining divine. (See Phil. 2:5-7.) He was fully

God on earth, but lived as a dependent human, clinging to His Father. This

is why He called Himself the "true vine" (John 15:1). Out of human neces-

sity He prayed to His Father.

WED

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the created beings from the unfallen

populated planets, along with heaven's unfallen angels, watched with in-

tense interest as Jesus came to earth. (See

The Great Controversy,

p. 503.)

They too had a stake in His life and death. In Jesus, as a created human, God

would demonstrate to them that Satan's charge of injustice is false.

Why did Jesus die and what does His risen life mean to us? Rom. 5:6-

11; John 12:31, 32.

Christ's victory at the cross had universal significance. Now it would be

seen that God was just in removing sin from the universe.

V. THE COSMIC ISSUE.

The issue in the cosmic conflict is explained in Scripture as follows. Sin,

or rebellion, is "the transgression of the law," or as the Greek of 1 John 3:4

puts it, "lawlessness." It is rooted in rejection of God, His government, and

His laws that are designed to protect and bless us. Rather than taking the

blame for lawlessness, Satan tries to blame God for giving His law. He

challenges the laws of God as being arbitrary, not in the best interests of

created beings, and impossible to keep. This issue is at the center of the

cosmic controversy. God's law is as eternal as He is and represents His

character. Those who oppose God's law really oppose God. (See Matt.

5:17-19; 1 John 2:3-6.)

Insight into this issue is found throughout the Bible. Take the Gospels, for

example. In them we read how Christ and Satan came face to face. Satan

invited Christ, after His forty days' fast, to change stones into bread in order

to satisfy His hunger. Christ replied: "Man does not live on bread alone, but

on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4, NIV). As He

did with Eve in Eden, Satan was urging Christ to take His own initiative—to

make His own decision, and not to depend on God's word and will. Christ

upheld God's word in every act of His life.

IN-DEPTH BIBLE STUDY: Read Revelation 12 in more than one Bible

version, then match the symbols that follow with their most appropriate

fulfillment:



The woman



a. Persecution



The dragon



b. Types and shadows of OT



The man child



c. A sanctuary



The wilderness



d. Satan



The sun



e. The apostles



The moon



f. Christ



The twelve stars



g. Protestant lands



The flood of waters



h. The church



The earth



i. The gospel

Study verses 7-16 until you are sure you understand their meaning. Indi-

cate

when

the events described took place:

Verses 7-9



Verses 10-12



Verses 13-16



From the information given in verse 17 identify the"remnant" and indi-

cate why this understanding is significant today.

The Bible helps us look beyond the here and now in order to understand

that we are caught in the middle of the great controversy between Christ and

Satan. It helps us see that we are in the midst of a war that reaches back

beyond human time—that reaches out from Planet Earth to the entire cos-

mos. We are soldiers in the greatest war ever fought. We are actors in the

greatest drama ever played. Our earth truly is the battle zone and theater of

the universe.

Satan's studied strategy in this great war is to make God look bad. He

hopes that by heaping upon us pain, violence, disease, and death, he can

goad us into blaming God for our troubles—into giving God the credit for

Satan's diabolical doings. But for every lie Satan tells about God, Christ

responds with an even clearer revelation of God's love. Lies and love—the

contrasting weapons of the two adversaries in the war of the ages.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Study Romans 1:19-32; Gen-

esis 6-8; 2 Peter 3:6; 1 Corinthians 4:9; Hebrews 1:14. Read the chapter in

Patriarchs and Prophets

entitled "Why Was Sin Permitted?," pp. 33-43.

Read also

The Desire of Ages,

pp. 19, 20.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

Some modern theologians are bound to human

theories. They look at Jesus as merely a superman. They do not consider

Him to be divine. They seek the truth as it might be found in humanity. The

search for truth must begin in Jesus, if it is to be Christian, because the place

we begin determines largely the end result.

Some thinkers call on people to look within themselves for truth rather

than to look within the Bible. They suggest that if we feel absolute depend-

ence upon God there must indeed be a God. To these thinkers truth is only

truth if it can be felt by human beings. Such a starting point leaves us shut up

in ourselves, cut off from divine revelation.

Other theologians have revolted against this human-centered emphasis

with the cry, "Let God be God and man be man!" They emphasize the great

distinction between God and man. But they do not go far enough. In fact

they deny those Biblical facts that would enable them to break through to a

true cosmic world view. They dismiss the Bible teaching of a cosmic con-

flict that involved Satan and the fallen angels in controversy with Christ.

What these kinds of world view overlook is how to handle adequately the

problem of where sin came from, why God allows it, and what He plans to

do about it.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

As you witness to

others about our faith, the great controversy theme will inevitably come up

Give the World a Hug

This Quarter

Jesus said,

"Love one

another as I have

loved

you." His love

reached everyone. So

does He expect you to

love like that? The

gospel commission

implies that your lov-

ing isn't done until it

encompasses the

world. And you best

express that kind of

love by giving.*

Remember the Weekly Mission Offering

* Your weekly Sabbath School Offerings support the World Mission Budget of the

church.

APPLICATION

•

Am I sure that I know where I stand in the great controversy?

•

Do I sense what Calvary means to God and the universe?

•

What will I do this week to put into practice what I have learned?

for discussion. For instance, when you explain the sanctuary system you can

show how the entire controversy is enacted in types as found in the Old

Testament. It is impossible to cover the entire great controversy theme as a

single unit of study. The entire plan of salvation incorporates this theme.

The focal point of the great controversy is the sin problem, which centers

upon the importance of God's law—His character. The basic issue in the

controversy revolves around Satan's attempt to do away with God's law and

overthrow His government. This controversy reached its peak at Calvary.

That is why Christ must be the focal point of your witness to others. (See

Eph. 4:21; John 14:6.)

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists have a cosmic world view of the

great controversy that brought Christ on His costly but successful mission to

Planet Earth. The sin problem involves Satan's rebellion, his charge that

God made a law that created beings cannot keep, and Christ's coming to

earth—in human form— to demonstrate that the law can be lived. The truth

as it is in Jesus is broader than many Christians realize. In the same way that

science broke beyond the confines of restricting world views, theology

needs to advance beyond a humanity-centered, planet-centered world view.

God lre[Ills Us

Why Christ Died

MEMORY TEXT: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who

knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in

him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Life, Death, and Resurrection of

Christ.

In Christ's life of perfect obedience to God's will, His suffering,

death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for hu-

man sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal

life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love

of the Creator. This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God's

law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and

provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and ex-

piatory, reconciling and transforming. The resurrection of Christ proclaims

God's triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atone-

ment assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship

of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will

bow "—Fundamental Belief No. 9.

OUTLINE

I. Christ's Perfect Life.

H. Christ's Perfect Sacrifice.

HI. Christ's Triumphant Resurrection.

IV.

Christ's Perfect Intercession.

Christ in the Believer's Heart.

INTRODUCTION:

There is no hope for the human race apart from the

life, sacrifice, and ministry of Jesus Christ. A faint glimpse of what the

entire world would be like if He had not come is seen in those societies that

have rejected Him, whether they be Christian in name or not. There is ex-

treme conflict, disrespect for human life, moral degradation, mistreatment

of neighbors, dishonesty, and injustice. People without Christ live in bond-

age to evil. They are victims of their own impulses and fears, and distrustful

of those around them.

Christ came to elevate humanity above the depravity and selfishness that

characterizes the service of Satan. Where Christ reigns, there is love, re-

spect for the rights and feelings of others, moral purity, honesty, and justice.

Christianity has enriched our world because Jesus enables His followers to

rise above the desires of their carnal natures, to follow the principles of

God's moral law, and to work for the healing and happiness of others.

In what way does the life, death, resurrection, and ministry of Jesus

Christ change our lives and change our world?

sae

I. CHRIST'S PERFECT LIFE.

Jesus Christ was divine as well as human,

power to enable Him to overcome sin. By

Father, as we may depend upon Him, Jesus

free from sin.

but never did he use His divine

depending upon His heavenly

was able to live a life entirely

SUN

SEARCH AND LEARN: Note what the

garding Christ's character:

John 8:45, 46



2 Cor. 5:21



Heb. 4:15



Heb. 7:26



1 Peter 1:19



1 Peter 2:22, 23



In the symbolic sanctuary services of ancient Israel, the sinner was to bring

an animal sacrifice that was "without blemish." (See Ex. 12:5; 29:1; Lev.

1:3,10; 22:21.) Every animal sacrificed represented Christ, "the Lamb of God,

which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The animal sacrificed by

the repentant Israelite was to be "without blemish," or "perfect," because it

symbolized the spiritual perfection of Jesus Christ. Peter likened Christ to the

"lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:19).

Jesus is the only human person who has ever lived a sinless life. His life

was acceptable to His Father, and His death a perfect sacrifice for sin be-

cause "he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth" (Isa.

53:9).

How may we copy the life of Jesus? Rom. 8:3, 4; Phil. 2:5-8; 2 Cor.

3:18; 2 Peter 1:3, 4.

Through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, believers in Christ may

overcome as He overcame. It is a law of the mind that it adapts to what it

focuses on consistently.

Let the mind focus on impurity, and it becomes impure. Let it focus on

the lovely Jesus, and it becomes like Him. As Jesus' character was entirely

without falsehood (see 1 Peter 2:22), so will be the characters of true believ-

ers living on the earth when Jesus comes. (See Rev. 14:4, 5.)

ILLUMINATION:

"None need fail of attaining, in his sphere, to perfec-

tion of Christian character. By the sacrifice of Christ, provision has been

made for the believer to receive all things that pertain to life and godliness.

God calls upon us to reach the standard of perfection and places before us

following passages teach re-

the example of Christ's character. In His humanity, perfected by a life of

constant resistance of evil, the Saviour showed that through cooperation

with Divinity, human beings may in this life attain to perfection of charac-

ter. This is God's assurance to us that we, too, may obtain complete

victory.

"—Acts of the Apostles,

p. 531.

"He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him

from sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the king-

dom of God.

"—Review and Herald,

March 10, 1904, p. 24.

H. CHRIST'S PERFECT SACRIFICE.

How many times was it necessary for Christ to die for human sin?

What does that tell us about the effectiveness of His sacrifice? Heb.

7:27; 9:26, 28; 10:10-12.

Animal sacrifices were offered constantly, year by year, in the Israelite

temple, but never was sin atoned for. (See Heb. 10:1-4.) The Lord accepted

these sacrifices as acts of faith on the part of His people. Their sins were

forgiven and their lives spiritually purified in view of what the Messiah

would do for them. It was not until Jesus Christ died on the cross that a real

atonement was provided for all sin. (See Heb. 10:5-10.) His death provided

"redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament"

(Heb. 9:15). Old Testament believers will be saved for eternity, not because

animal sacrifices atoned for their sins, but because the death of the Messiah

was the object of the faith expressed in their sacrifices.

For the guilt of how many did Jesus die? How many can come to Him

for cleansing? 1 John 2:2; Rom. 10:12; Rev. 22:17.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the following passages teach regard-

ing the real cause of Christ's suffering on the cross?

Isa. 53:5, 6, 8, 10



Mark 15:34



1 John 3



1 Peter 2:24



Because Jesus was bearing the guilt of humanity, He was separated from

His Father. God the Son was separated from God the Father and God the

Holy Spirit. This is why on the cross Jesus cried out, "My God, my God,

why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). Jesus' separation from His

Father caused suffering for the Deity that humans cannot begin to under-

stand. The sacrifice was entirely sufficient to atone for all sin, no matter how

long time may last, because it was the infinite suffering of God.

WED

11111

ILLUMINATION:

"But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He

cannot see the Father's reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine

countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His

heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was

this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt."—The

Desire of Ages,

753. (See also, pp. 755, 756.)

III. CHRIST'S TRIUMPHANT RESURRECTION.

Of what great significance for humanity is the resurrection of Christ?

1 Cor. 15:14-23; 1 Thess. 4:14-16.

Life after death for human beings is dependent upon Christ's resurrection

from the dead. His death made possible our reconciliation with God. His

resurrection ensures our eternal salvation. Paul taught that "we shall be

saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10).

Justified believers who died before Christ died on the cross could not be

raised to eternal life unless Christ had risen from the dead. Paul explained

that, in the absence of His resurrection, "they also which are fallen asleep in

Christ are perished" (1 Cor. 15:18).

Job, Miriam, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Daniel, and a host of other Old

Testament saints would remain for eternity in their graves if Christ had not

risen.

Moreover, if Christ had not risen from the dead, we would still be in our

sins. (See 1 Cor. 15:17.) Christ bore our guilt on the cross, but without His

living intercession and vital saving ministry the benefits of His sacrifice

would be lost.

SEARCH AND LEARN: According to the following passages, what are

the specific benefits to humanity of Christ's resurrection?

Acts 10:39-43



Rom. 1:4, 5



Rom. 10



Eph. 1:19-23



Phil. 3:10, 11



ILLUMINATION:

"To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the life.

In our Saviour the life that was lost through sin is restored; for He has life in

Himself to quicken whom He will. He is invested with the right to give

immortality. The life that He laid down in humanity, He takes up again, and

gives to humanity.

"—The Desire of Ages,

pp. 786, 787.

IV. CHRIST'S PERFECT INTERCESSION.

What priestly act of Jesus was represented by the sprinkling of blood

by the Israelite priest after the sin-offering had been slain? Heb. 10:16-

22; 9:11-14.

Jesus' heavenly High-Priestly ministry, which began after His sacrifice

and ascension, is the reality to which the daily ministration of the earthly

priests pointed. After the sacrifice came priestly application of blood and

sanctuary ministry. After Jesus' death and resurrection He presented in

heaven the merits of His sacrifice for repenting, confessing sinners. Because

of His heavenly ministry, sinners are forgiven and cleansed. Without that

ministry, there could be no assurance of forgiveness.

The sacrifice at the cross was vital to our salvation. Jesus' intercession for

us in the heavenly sanctuary also is essential. The cross provided a full and

complete sacrificial atonement. But "atonement" in the Leviticus sense re-

quires priestly ministry after the sacrifice was made. Jesus provides this

ministry in heaven as He forgives sin and cleanses sinners.

ILLUMINATION:

"The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanc-

tuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the

cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He

ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil,

`whither the forerunner is for us entered.' Hebrews 6:20. There the light

from the cross of Calvary is reflected."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 489.

What happens to the guilt of the sinner whose sins are forgiven by

virtue of Calvary? 1 John 4:10; Rom. 8:1, 34; Micah 7:19.

ILLUMINATION:

"The heaviest burden that we bear is the burden of

sin. If we were left to bear this burden, it would crush us. But the Sinless

One has taken our place. 'The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.'

Isa. 53:6. He has borne the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from

our weary shoulders. He will give us rest."—The

Desire of Ages,

pp. 328,

329. (If you have

Selected Messages,

see bk. 1, pp. 392, 393.)

V. CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S HEART.

The life, death, resurrection, and heavenly intercession of Jesus Christ

have saving value only when He is received into the life by faith. The Chris-

tian life is a relationship with Jesus. To know what the Bible teaches on

doctrinal questions is vitally important; to know Jesus as an indwelling di-

vine Presence is indispensable.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What do the following Bible passages teach

regarding how Jesus lives within us, and what His presence does for us?

John 14:18, 20



John 17:23



2 Cor. 13



Eph. 3:16-19



Rev. 3:20



What special characteristic will be possessed by those whom Jesus

takes to heaven? Matt. 25:46; 13:43.

How does that special characteristic become ours? Rom. 8:9, 10.

The presence of Christ in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is the qualification

for heaven. If sin controls our minds Jesus cannot live out His life through

us. But if we allow Him to dwell within, controlling our thoughts, our de-

sires, our motives, and our actions, then our lives will reflect the glory of

His character.

W. W. Prescott explained it beautifully: "My own garments are defiled

with sin, and my own righteousness is as filthy rags. He provides for me the

white raiment, that the shame of my nakedness may not appear. At infinite

cost to Himself, but 'without money and without price,' He imparts to me

the riches of heaven, the most precious treasure in the universe, His own

righteousness. This He does by giving Himself to me. He Himself becomes

my righteousness. His righteousness, His life, Himself, are inseparable.

This increases my joyful wonder. He does not divest Himself of what he

bestows upon me. He Himself is the gift. He asks me to give myself to Him

in order that He may give Himself to me.

"The righteousness of Jesus is not a theological creed, but a living experi-

ence. It not only changes my standing with God, but it also determines my

conduct. The gift of His righteousness is not an entry on the credit side of

my ledger account in the books of heaven to balance a troublesome account,

a transaction entirely devoid of any personal touch with me. It has to do with

my inmost being. It purifies the current of my life, and sweetens my think-

ing, my speaking, and my doing. It makes me a new creature in Christ

Jesus."—Victory in Christ,

pp. 21, 22.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

To gain a clearer grasp of

Christ's infinite sacrifice for us read

The Desire of Ages,

chapters 74 and 78

entitled "Gethsemane" and "Calvary." As you read consider the real cause

of Jesus' suffering.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

Virtually all conservative Christians believe in

the great significance of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Along

with many other Christian bodies, Seventh-day Adventists believe that these

events are historical facts that are foundational for Christianity. The tend-

ency among liberal scholars to deny the historicity of Christ's atoning death

and resurrection seriously undermines the very basis of the Christian faith.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

The most important

element for success in sharing this message is a personal experience with

Christ. As the early disciples, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus,

meditated upon His pure, holy life, "they felt that no toil would be too hard,

no sacrifice too great, if only they could bear witness in their lives to the

loveliness of Christ's character."—The

Acts of the Apostles,

p. 36. (See

also p. 37.)

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists believe that Jesus Christ lived a per-

fectly sinless life. Not even by a thought did He yield to the power of temp-

tation. Although He endured much for humanity throughout His lifetime,

Jesus' suffering at the end of life provided a completely sufficient sacrificial

atonement for human sin.

Christ's resurrection from the dead makes possible the spiritual and phys-

ical resurrection of those who believe in Him. As the heavenly Intercessor,

Jesus forgives the sins and cleanses the lives of those who accept Him. By

living in their hearts, He provides the essential qualification for heaven—the

righteousness of God.

APPLICATION

•

Do I understand the significance for me of Christ's life of perfect

obedience to God's will?

•

Have I let go my feelings of guilt, because Christ has suffered for it

and forgiven my sins?

•

Do I have a relationship with Jesus? Is He living in my heart contin-

ually?

•

Do I purposely pray in my early morning prayers for a fitness to win

souls?

here is means

enough in the hands

of believers to amply

sustain the work in all

its departments without embarassing any,

if all would bear their

proportional part."

Testimonies to the Church, vol. 3, p.410.

God Te110s Us

How to Be Sawed

MEMORY TEXT: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a

new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are

become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Experience of Salvation.

In infinite love

and mercy God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in

Him we might be made the righteousness of God. Led by the Holy Spirit we

sense our need, acknowledge our sinfulness, repent of our transgressions,

and exercise faith in Jesus as Lord and Christ, as Substitute and Example.

This faith which receives salvation comes through the divine power of the

Word and is the gift of God's grace. Through Christ we are justified,

adopted as God's sons and daughters, and delivered from the lordship of sin.

Through the Spirit we are born again and sanctified; the Spirit renews our

minds, writes God's law of love in our hearts, and we are given the power to

live a holy life. Abiding in Him we become partakers of the divine nature

and have the assurance of salvation now and in the judgment."—Funda-

mental Belief No. 10.

OUTLINE:

Christ Became Sin for Us.

II.

Delivered From the Lordship of Sin.

HI. Born Through the Spirit.

IV.

Delivered From the Power of Sin.

The Assurance of Salvation.

INTRODUCTION:

While God has made full provision for us to be saved,

He does not thrust salvation upon us. His nature is love, and He longs for a

loving response from human beings to His plan of redemption. He has done

His part—"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not im-

puting their trespasses unto them" (2 Cor. 5:19)—but we must accept His

provision. "We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor.

5:20).

This lesson deals with the

experience

of salvation. No matter what Christ

has done to provide salvation for the world, none of us can enjoy the benefits

of His salvation until we accept and experience it ourselves.

Charles V, the sixteenth-century Holy Roman Emperor, owed a large

amount of money to a merchant of Antwerp. After it became clear that

Charles was unable to pay, the merchant held a huge banquet to which he

invited the Emperor. During the meal, in the presence of all the guests, the

merchant lit a fire on a platter. Taking from his pocket the promisory note

that recorded Charles' debt, the merchant held it in the fire until it was

sae

Lesson

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Se•tember

burned to ashes. Charles was so moved that he threw his arms around his

benefactor and wept.

How foolish it would have been if Charles had not accepted the gift! The

good news is that Christ has paid our debt without any work or action on our

part. He only asks that we reach out by faith and accept it.

I. CHRIST BECAME SIN FOR US.

ANALYZE Romans 5:6-18 by carefully studying the chart that follows.

Fill in the missing blanks.

Verses

Analysis

6-8

Christ died for

9, 10

Justified by His

Reconciled by His

Saved from wrath

through

Saved by His

11-18

By Adam

By Christ

Sin entered

Grace entered

Death resulted

restored

By offense of one

came

By righteousness of

One



came!

Disobedience of one

made

Obedience of one

made

Not only does Romans 5 describe the fact that Christ became sin for us but

it also makes clear what His sacrifice accomplished. In response we are

filled with "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have

now received the atonement" (Rom. 5:11).

Recognizing that He alone could pay the price for our salvation, our part

in obtaining it is to accept redemption by reaching out the hand of faith.

Faith itself comes from God. Our Lord must be given total credit for all

phases of salvation.

Faith accepts salvation but does not provide it. What alone can save

us? Eph. 2:8, 9.

Our part is in placing our will on the side of God, in being willing to be

made willing, in allowing the Holy Spirit to woo us back to God. Even in

offering His inestimable gift God honors our freedom of choice. Surrender-

ing to Christ is a work of faith. No work of ours saves us.

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II. DELIVERED FROM THE LORDSHIP OF SIN.

As we turn by faith from self-righteousness and accept God's right-

eousness in Christ, what new standing do we have with God? Rom.

3:23-26.

Accepting Jesus we are acquitted from the sentence of guilt and death,

which we deserve because of our transgressions of God's laws.

Some years ago a home owner on a Pacific island saw a rag-covered being

scurry with fright into the jungle. When captured a few hours later, the

individual turned out to be a former soldier. He was dressed in the tattered

remains of a uniform. His hair was long and matted. His malnourished,

emaciated body was covered with scars. For 25 years he had lived more like

an animal than a human being, hiding in the jungle. He did not know that the

war was over. It was almost impossible to persuade him of that fact. Only

when he returned home and fell into the arms of his loved ones and relatives

did he realize that the misery of 25 horrible years had been unnecessary.

So it is with earth's multitudes today. They do not know that acquittal

from the sentence of eternal death is theirs for the taking. They wallow in the

pit of sin, doubt, and despair with no concept of the glorious freedom and

joy that can be theirs in Christ Jesus.

What practical steps do we take in order to receive forgiveness and

justification? Acts 3:19; Prov. 28:13.

What leads to repentance? Our own effort? No! "The goodness of God

leadeth thee to .repentance" (Rom. 2:4). None can truly repent until they

sense the righteousness, the goodness, the unutterable kindness and love of

God. Then the experience of deep sorrow for sins takes place. This sorrow

turns a person around from walking in the pathway of sin to the pathway of

obedience. It is the Holy Spirit who creates in the heart a deep desire to be

clean, and to be restored to a close fellowship with Jesus.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What is the result of having been justified?

Rom. 6:17, 18



Rom. 8:14-17



2 Cor. 5:17-21



Phil. 2:15



1 John 2:29; 3



No longer do we live under the lordship of sin. The key to finding perma-

nent, satisfying peace lies in a single word—justification! Guilt is a killer. It

destroys peace of mind. When we are justififed by "the washing of

regeneration" [Greek: "rebirth"] we are transformed by Christ's grace and

"made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7). Our guilt

and impurity are taken away. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have

peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

What does a dramatic incident in the life of Jesus teach us about the

necessity of faith in spiritual healing? Mark 9:17-27.

III. BORN THROUGH THE SPIRIT.

The Holy Spirit's work for us is not completed when He brings conviction

to our hearts. If we are willing He brings about a new birth.

How did Jesus explain the significance of the new birth in His night-

time conversation with Nicodemus? John 3:3-8.

ILLUMINATION:

"The fountain of the heart must be purified before the

streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own

works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety

for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. The Christian's

life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of

nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This

change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy

Spirit."—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 172.

What does David's prayer teach us about how to ask for and receive

the new birth? Psalm 51:2, 7, 10-12.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What is "new" in the new birth?

Eze. 36:25-27



2 Cor. 5:17



Heb. 8:7-10



Although the change of heart is a creative work that only the Creator can

achieve, we have a vital part in making the process possible—we must place

ourselves in the channel of the Spirit's creative activity. In other words, by

making ourselves available to behold Christ we come under the creative

presence of the Holy Spirit. Our part is to study the life of Christ. The Holy

Spirit's part is to internalize this study.

What part does the Word of God have in this experience? 1 Peter

1:23.

IV. DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF SIN.

The Holy Spirit dwells in us, giving us power for victory over sin and

temptation. He instructs and guides us in facing daily decisions, and contin-

ually reveals more of God's love and will to us.

What glorious state do we achieve through the work of the Holy

Spirit within us? Rom. 8:1-4.

As long as we walk "after the Spirit" we are free from both the condem-

nation of sin and the law of sin and death. Because Christ "condemned sin

in the flesh" the righteousness of the law will be "fulfilled" ("fully met,"

NIV) in us.

STUDY the chart of Romans 8:2-17 given below, noting the clear con-

trast between those who walk in the flesh and those who walk in the

Spirit.

Verse(s)

In Sinful

Nature

Verse(s)

In Spiritual

Nature

Mind things of

flesh

Mind things of Spirit

Results in death

Results in life and

peace

Enmity against

God, not subject

to law

Spirit of God dwells in

you

Cannot please God

14-17

Children of God, joint-

heirs with Christ

Spirit of bondage

Spirit of adoption

From first to last the experience of salvation is "by grace . . . through

faith" (Eph. 2:8). The way we come to Christ is the way we live in Christ:

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him"

(Col. 2:6). Daily we are to give all and take all—yielding ourselves fully to

God and receiving His new life and righteousness. (See Matt. 16:24.) We

abide in Christ when we unite with Him in a relationship that strengthens

and deepens each day.

What happens when we abide in or are united with Christ? 2 Cor.

3:18.

WED

The image of God, defaced and well-nigh obliterated by the Fall, is being

progressively restored. (See Col. 3:10.) We no longer defy His law and seek

to evade its demands; now it is written within. (See Heb. 8:10, 11.)

What kind of behavior results when God's law is written on the tables

of our hearts? John 14:15; Rom. 13:10.

What does it mean that we become partakers of the divine nature?

2 Peter 1:4.

In the same way that the Holy Spirit enabled the divine Christ to partake

of human nature, the Spirit enables. us to partake of the divine nature. A

mystery is involved here that is similar to the incarnation mystery (See

2 Cor. 3:18.) Christ became human, but we do not become divine. Rather

we partake of the divine nature, becoming Godlike in character. We become

a new creation. (See 2 Cor. 5:17.) Our minds are renewed. (See Rom. 12:2.)

V. THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION.

As long as we allow Christ to abide in us and we walk in the Spirit, God

will hold us by a hand that never will let go.

What promise can we claim? John 10:27-29.

What is our hope? Titus 3:7.

God's salvation in Jesus Christ gives us strength for today and hope for

tomorrow Our life now is filled with meaning and significance. We belong

to God. We can face the future with confidence, knowing that as long as we

abide in Him we need fear no evil.

What gives us confidence as we face the judgment? 1 John 2:1.

What assurance is possessed by those who experience the salvation

that Jesus provides by grace through faith? 1 Peter 1:3-9.

0, the depths of the love and wisdom of God in providing for our every

need, now and eternally! What shall we then say to these things? "If God be

for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

A careful reading of the small

book

Steps to Christ

will bring encouragement and reaffirm faith.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

The experience of salvation by faith alone in

Christ is a unique teaching of true Christianity. The vast majority of earth's

multitudes operate on the principle that people can save themselves by their

own works. This evil principle is the foundation of every non-Christian reli-

gion. Tragically, the same principle constitutes the foundation upon which

many professed Christians operate. However good in themselves, works do

not make us righteous, nor do they earn merit in the sight of God. Right-

eousness and salvation are Christ's free gifts. Works of faith are the result

and the evidence of our relationship with Him.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

The best preparation

possible for sharing the experience of salvation is a personal experience with

Jesus Christ. The presence of Christ in your life is reflected in your piety,

goodness, mercy, and love. When opportunity comes, be prepared to give a

reason for your experience. One of the best ways to do that is to share with

others the book

Steps to Christ.

Tell those' with whom you are in contact

what precious blessings have been yours as you have gained from that book

a deeper understanding of salvation in Christ.

SUMMARY:

The Holy Spirit makes Christ a reality to the believer. With-

out the realization of Christ within, human beings are lost. Christ within

makes salvation tangible, by restoring the image of God in humanity.

APPLICATION

•

What steps am I taking in order to experience salvation fully?

•

Am I proud of my spiritual achievements, or do I humbly give Christ

total credit for saving me and changing me?

•

Am I sharing Christ with others, or am I selfishly reserving His

blessings to myself?

Send For

Full

Particulars on

New

EARLY YOUTH

Audio Visual Mission Programs

CHURCH MINISTRIES—

LOCAL CONFERENCE

MISSION SPOTLIGHT

P.O. Box 849

Decatur, Georgia

Telephone— 404-296-6102

111

God Tells Us

About His Church

MEMORY TEXT: And hath put all things under his feet, and

gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his

body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" Eph. 1:22, 23.

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Church.

The church is the community of

believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In continuity with

the people of God in Old Testament times, we are called out from the world;

and we join together for worship, for fellowship, for instruction in the

Word, for the celebration of the Lord's Supper, for service to all mankind,

and for the worldwide proclamation of the gospel. The church derives its

authority from Christ, who is the incarnate Word, and from the Scriptures,

which are the written Word. The church is God's family; adopted by Him as

children, its members live on the basis of the new covenant. The church is

the body of Christ, a community of faith of which Christ Himself is the

Head. The church is the bride for whom Christ died that He might sanctify

and cleanse her. At His return in triumph, He will present her to Himself a

glorious church, the faithful of all the ages, the purchase of His blood, not

having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish."—Fundamental Be-

lief No. 11.

OUTLINE:

The Christian Church Founded by Jesus Christ.

II.

The Organization and Growth of the Apostolic Church.

HI. The Major Characteristics of the Christian Church.

IV.

The Major Functions of the Church.

What Is Involved in Being a Church Member?

INTRODUCTION:

What is the Christian church? How should it be orga-

nized and controlled? Questions such as these have concerned Christian

thinkers ever since the apostolic age. A number of different answers have

been given.

The church of the Middle Ages was ruled by regional bishops, who were

subservient to the leading bishop. The leading Reformers of the sixteenth

century regarded the true church as a spiritual fellowship of all believers in

Jesus Christ.

The visible church organization was thought important, but it contained

some who were not true believers, while others who were true believers

were not members. Thus the visible institutional church was not to be

equated fully with the spiritual fellowship of all true believers.

This lesson is designed to help us understand the Bible definition of the

church and the Bible teaching regarding church organization and leadership.

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I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH FOUNDED BY JESUS CHRIST.

Upon whom did Jesus establish the church? What was the signifi-

cance of that fact? Matt. 16:16-18; 1 Cor. 3:10, 11; 1 Peter 2:3-8.

The Christian church was founded by Jesus Christ upon Himself. He is

the "rock" (Greek:

petra),

the great foundation stone upon which His

church is built (Matt. 16:18). The name Peter also means "rock" (Greek:

petros)

but a rock that can be moved. By contrast, Christ is the immovable

foundation of the church (Matt. 16:16-18). Both Paul and Peter accepted

Christ as the one upon whom the church is built. (See 1 Cor. 3:10, 11;

1 Peter 2:3-8.)

Who is the "head" of the church? Eph. 1:22, 23; 4:15; 5:23; Col.

1:18.

What attitudes toward Christ and His people should be adopted by

church leaders? 1 Peter 5:1-4; Mark 10:42-45; Matt. 23:8-11.

ILLUMINATION:

"The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is

to obey Christ as its head. It is not to depend upon man, or be controlled by

man. Many claim that a position of trust in the church gives them authority

to dictate what other men shall believe and what they shall do. This claim

God does not sanction. The Saviour declares, 'All ye are brethren.' All are

exposed to temptation, and are liable to error. Upon no finite being can we

depend for guidance. The Rock of faith is the living presence of Christ in the

church."—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 414.

What did Jesus mean by the "keys of the kingdom of heaven"? To

whom did He give them? Matt. 16:19; 18:18; Rev. 1:18; 3:7.

Jesus did not give the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" only to Peter. He

gave them to all His followers. (See Matt. 18:18 in context;

The Desire of

Ages,

p. 414.) Because of His death and resurrection, Jesus holds in His

hands "the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:18). It is the privilege of

every Christian to present Christ to those who do not know Him. In this

sense, every Christian is a priest (see 1 Peter 2:5) who, under Christ, can

open heaven for responding sinners.

Next to Christ, whose teachings are foundational for the Christian

church? Eph. 2:19-22; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

The apostles received their messages directly from Christ and the Holy

Spirit. Christians accept these messages as the Word of God, endeavoring to

fl3roZERGe DO

Lesson

follow their counsels regarding the church, the family, and individual life.

Notice that Paul depicts "the household of God" as "built upon the foun-

dation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief

corner stone" (Eph. 2:19, 20). The "prophets" refer to the writings of the

Old Testament which are vital for the spiritual life of Christians. (See Rom.

9:4, 5; 11:1-5; 2 Tim. 3:15-17.)

What respect should be given to the appointed spiritual leaders of the

church? 1 Thess. 5:12, 13; 1 Tim. 5:17.

ILLUMINATION:

"Christ and His church are inseparable. To neglect or

despise those whom God has appointed to lead out and to bear the responsi-

bilities connected with His work and with the advancement and spread of the

truth is to reject the means which God has ordained for the help, encourage-

ment, and strength of His people. To pass these by and think your light must

come through no other channel than directly from God places you in a posi-

tion where you are liable to deception and to be overthrown.

"—Testimo-

nies,

vol. 3, pp. 418, 419.

II. THE ORGANIZATION AND GROWTH OF THE APOSTOLIC

CHURCH.

How did a twofold ministry of the church develop? Acts 6:1- 6; Phil.

1:1.

The apostles took the lead in the church after the resurrection of Jesus

(Acts 1:21-26). As need arose, new positions of responsibility were created

within the church. A distinction was made between elders (or bishops) and

deacons. Elders, or bishops, were the ministers of the Word, the preachers

who were the church's spiritual leaders. (See Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5-9;

1 Tim. 3:1-7.) In the New Testament the word

elder

(Greek:

presbuteros)

used synonymously with the word

bishop (episkopos).

Deacons were ap-

pointed to care for practical matters that were not to distract the elders from

their special task of preaching the gospel. (See Acts 6:1-8.) Like the elders,

the deacons were to be above reproach, in charge of their households, and

able to command the respect of church members. (See 1 Tim. 3:8-13.)

Whose judgment was respected in a special way? Acts 15:1-4, 22.

ILLUMINATION:

"The entire body of Christians was not called to vote

upon the question [at the Jerusalem council]. The 'apostles and elders,' men

of influence and judgment, framed and issued the decree, which was there-

upon generally accepted by the Christian churches.

"—The Acts of the Apos-

tles,

p. 196.

As the church grew, how did members help one another? Acts 2:40-47.

III. THE MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHRISTIAN

CHURCH.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What five metaphors help define what the

church is?

Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27



Luke 12:32; John 10:2-5, 11



Eph. 2:19; 3:14, 15



1 Peter 2



Rev. 19:7, 8



The metaphors used by the New Testament writers to describe the church

indicate that the closest possible spiritual bond exists between Christ and His

believing people and among believers themselves. The Bible says that only

those in whose hearts the Holy Spirit is living belong to Christ (See Rom.

8:9, 10.).Only they belong to the spiritual communion of Christ.

Apart from the fact that the church is a spiritual communion of be-

lievers, what evidence is there in Scripture that it also is a visible organi-

zation? 1 Cor. 1:2; Acts 13:1; 14:23.

ILLUMINATION:

"I have been instructed that it is Satan's special effort to

lead men to feel that God is pleased to have them choose their own course,

independent of the counsel of their brethren.

"Herein lies a grave danger to the prosperity of our work. We must move

discreetly, sensibly, in harmony with the judgment of God-fearing counsel-

ors; for in this course alone lies our safety and strength. Otherwise God

cannot work with us and by us and for us.

"0 how Satan would rejoice if he could succeed in his efforts to get in

among this people, and disorganize the work at a time when thorough orga-

nization is essential, and will be the greatest power to keep out spurious

uprisings, and.to refute claims not endorsed by the word of God! We want to

hold the lines evenly, that there shall be no breaking down of the system of

organization and order that has been built up by wise, careful labor. License

must not be given to disorderly elements that desire to control the work at

this time.

"Some have advanced the thought that as we near the close of time, every

child of God will act independently of any religious organization. But I have

been instructed by the Lord that in this work there is no such thing as every

man's being independent The stars of heaven are all under law, each influ-

encing the other to do the will of God, yielding their common obedience to

the law that controls their action. And, in order that the Lord's work may

advance healthfully and solidly, His people must draw together."-Gospel

Workers,

pp. 486, 487.

Give some examples of visible churches that contained members who

had lost their spiritual communion with the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 5:1,

11; Gal. 3:1; 2 Peter 2:1.

In every age there have been unfaithful members of the Christian church.

The Bible teaches that we should earnestly and lovingly seek to win them

back to Christ. But in some circumstances, for the good name of Christ and

His church, they are to be asked to relinquish their membership.

What does God ask of His faithful ones who are outside the visible,

organized church? John 10:16; Rev. 18:4.

ILLUMINATION:

"Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation

from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great

body of Christ's true followers are still to be found in their communion. . . .

"Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the

threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12, the church will have fully reached

the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in

Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion."—The

Great

Controversy,

p. 390.

IV. THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF THE CHURCH.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What functions of the church are emphasized

in the following passages?

Matt. 28:19, 20



1 John 1



Rev. 14



Acts 17:11



1 Cor. 11:24-26



Only as church members are enjoying close fellowship with Jesus and

with one another can they fulfill their mission for the world. Fellowship,

worship, Bible study, celebration of the Lord's Supper, and the practice of

baptism are all church functions that are vitally important for spiritual life

and growth. A spiritually healthy church will offer unselfish service for the

world. It will have a health ministry conducted by believers who themselves

practice correct principles of health reform; it will have a teaching ministry

for its youth; and it will have a special ministry for the poor. Every church

member has a vital role to play in the task of presenting the gospel.

THINK IT THROUGH: What practical steps can be taken by your lo-

cal church to do Christ's work more effectively?

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V. WHAT IS INVOLVED IN BEING A CHURCH MEMBER?

We must let the Bible summarize the responsibilities of individual church

members.

What is of first importance in being a member of the body of Christ?

John 3:5, 7; Acts 16:31.

(See also

Testimonies,

vol. 4, pp. 18, 19; vol. 5, p. 278.)

What must every true member of the body of Christ be willing to do?

John 14:15; 15:10.

What attitude of heart will motivate the individual church member in

his service for fellow Christians and for non-Christians? 1 John 4:7-13;

John 17:21-23.

"Love for God and for those for whom Christ has died will do a work that

we can scarcely comprehend.

"—Testimonies,

vol. 6, p. 84.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Study further what the Bible

says regarding: (1) fellowship: Psalm 119:63; Mal. 3:16; Acts 2:1, 42; Rom.

1:12. (2) worship: 1 Chron. 16:29; 25:6; Heb. 10:25; John 4:24; Phil

. 2:8-

11; and (3) service: Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20; Luke 16:13; James 1:27.

Read the chapter entitled "The Great Commission:" in

The Acts of the

Apostles,

pp. 25-34.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

Some churches place great emphasis on the

special spiritual privileges and powers of their priests or ministers. Lay peo-

ple are regarded as spiritually subservient to their priests and dependent

upon them for access to God. The New Testament does not teach this exalta-

tion of the priesthood. Because all members are part of the body, each is

necessary for the good of the whole. (See 1 Cor. 12:8-31.)

Since the Reformation, Protestantism has splintered into literally thou-

sands of denominations. Differences in theology and Christian practice have

produced great division. Today the ecumenical spirit leads many Christians

and their denominations to neglect careful attention to Bible truth in the

interests of external unity and a new show of church power. Political influ-

ence is being exerted in an attempt to enforce certain traditional teachings,

to which most established denominations can subscribe.

Bible prophecy indicates that the church-state issue will be a major factor

in the final scenes before Jesus comes.

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

Pride and intoler-

ance will destroy your effectiveness as a witness for Christ. Telling others

that your church is the only true church might antagonize. Invite your non-,

Adventist relatives and friends to attend church with you. Hope

OGL

"I Didn't

Know

Where

the

Money

Was

Going

So I didn't start a Sabbath

School Investment project.

Then God reminded me that

He would take care of the

money and send the blessings

where they belonged. So I in-

vested my talent for teaching

Hawaiian guitar. That year I

earned $205 for Investment. I

wonder how many I deprived

from hearing the gospel dur-

ing those years I neglected to

get involved!"

Church Member, Citra SDA

Church, Florida

APPLICATION

Do I belong to the spiritual fellowship of all true believers in Jesus

Christ?

Have I identified myself with that church organization that is follow-

ing most closely the teachings of God's Word?

Am I willing to use the talents the Lord has given me in serving my

church and the people of the world around me?

fully they will be impressed with the loving concern of the church members

and will become interested in our message. "The strongest argument in fa-

vor of the Gospel is a loving and lovable Christian."—The

Ministry of Heal-

ing,

p. 470.

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists believe that Jesus Christ founded the

Christian church upon Himself. As the Head of the Church, Christ directs

His people through the messages contained in His Word, through the convic-

tion of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, and through the ministry of appointed

spiritual leaders. The church is both a spiritual communion of all true believ-

ers in Christ and a visible organization in which leaders and people cooper-

ate in carrying out Christ's great commission.

God Ontroduces

the Three Angelis'

Messages

MEMORY TEXT: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are

they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus"

(Rev. 14:12).

CENTRAL TEACHING: "The Remnant and its Mission.

The universal

church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ; but in the last days, a

time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the

commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the

arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and her-

alds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by

the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in

heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every be-

liever is called to have a personal part in this witness."—Fundamental Be-

lief No. 12.

OUTLINE:

Why a Remnant Is Needed Today.

II.

The Remnant Announces the Judgment Hour.

III.

The Remnant Proclaims Salvation Through Christ.

IV.

The Remnant Heralds the Second Advent.

The Remnant Gives the Loud Cry.

INTRODUCTION:

Throughout history God has had a people who have

remained loyal to Him. No matter how deep apostasy may have been, faith-

ful followers have proclaimed His name and lived by faith in His salvation.

At times the number of true believers has been reduced to a small minority, a

remnant, as at the time of the Flood (see Gen. 7:7) or in the days of Elijah's

ministry (see 1 Kings 19:18).

Seventh-day Adventists believe that God has people in every denomina-

tion and even among the unchurched. We do not subscribe to the idea that

salvation is limited to those within Christian churches in general or to those

within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in particular. But God has a rem-

nant church, a specially "called out" people, with an end-time message for

this age. We believe that Scripture points to the Seventh-day Adventist

movement as the fulfillment of the prophecy that there would be a remnant

church for this time to proclaim His second coming.

PMT

I. WHY A REMNANT IS NEEDED TODAY.

Disobedience of the divine law is rampant today. The majority flout

God's will and spurn His offer of salvation; evil and evil people "wax worse

and worse" (2 Tim. 3:13).

In such a time as this, what challenge does God give His people? Phil.

2:15.

The

Revised Standard Version

reads: "Without blemish in the midst of a

crooked and perverse generation." In an age of rebellion, they keep God's

commandments; in an age of unbelief, they have the faith of Jesus. (See

Rev. 14:12.) As the events of earth hasten to their grand finale, the contrast

between the remnant and unbelievers will become ever more marked.

When will the light and glory of the truth of God be most evident in

the character of His people? Isa. 60:1, 2.

REVIEW the following prophecies that give insights into the time when

it was predicted that the remnant church would begin its work.

1. Rev. 12:17.

Revelation 12 introduces five major battles of the contro-

versy on earth in which the dragon (Satan, verse 9) fights against the woman

(the symbol of God's people): (1) the battle for the minds of people that has

continued since Satan deceived the first woman (see verses 4 and 5); (2) the

attack upon the "man child" (Christ) when He was born on earth (see verses

4 and 13); (3) the persecutions that began as soon as Jesus left the world and

that continued through the Dark Ages (see verse 13); (4) the persecutions

during the wilderness period that drove many people to the "earth" (Amer-

ica) for shelter prior to 1798 (verse 6, 14-16); and (5) the last angry attack

against the remnant church. The prophetic sequence indicates that the

"remnant" appears sometime after 1798 (see verse 17; compare Daniel

7:24, 25).

2. Rev. 10:1-11:1.

The year 1844 is most important to Seventh-day

Adventists. For a number of years prior to 1844, William Miller preached

the imminent return of Jesus, finally setting October 22, 1844, as the Sec-

ond Advent date. The day passed without Christ's return. The bitter disap-

pointment described in Revelation 10:9, 10 caused most believers to give

up, another smaller group to continue for a few years, and the third hand-

ful—"the scattered flock" (so called in 1847)—to form a believing rem-

nant. They still expected the Advent. They rechecked their computations for

1844. It dawned On them that the date was correct, but not the event. Under

divine guidance, they concluded that, in 1844, the High Priest went from

one ministry to another in heaven rather than from heaven to earth. Thus

1844 was the time when Christ moved His ministry from the first apartment

into the second apartment to begin the investigative judgment.

This discovery was based upon the Old Testament sanctuary—temple

model. Once each year, during the Day of Atonement, the high priest went

into the Most Holy Place. (See Heb. 9:7.) This was judgment day for Israel,

and all who did not search their minds and gather around the tabernacle or

Temple were cut off. (See Lev. 23:29.) The remnant that survived the 1844

disappointment knew that the investigative pre-advent judgment had ar-

rived. They continued to search the Scriptures. They discovered the Sabbath

truth, recognized the prophetic ministry in their midst, and realized that the

truth about what was happening in the heavenly sanctuary explained their

disappointment.

In 1844 the remnant began to proclaim the three angels' messages of Rev-

elation 14.

H. THE REMNANT ANNOUNCES THE JUDGMENT HOUR.

Because God in His marvelous love always gives humanity warning and

opportunity for rescue before He brings destruction, He commissions the

remnant to announce to the world the imminent end of all things. The

remnant's mission is portrayed by the three angels of Revelation 14:6-12.

Theirs is a worldwide task, embracing "every nation, and kindred, and

tongue, and people." Their message calls attention to the arrival of God's

judgment. God is intervening in the course of human history to bring to a

close the great controversy between good and evil.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What kinds of records are investigated and

what kinds of decisions are made during the pre-advent judgment?

Eccl. 12:13, 14



Dan. 7:9, 10; (compare 12



Dan. 7:13, 14, 21, 22, 26, 27



Mal. 3:1-4, 16, 17



MON

Matt. 22:11-14



Rev. 3:5; 6:9-11; 14:6, 7



How many are involved in the judgment? 2 Cor. 5:10. What is the

standard by which we will be judged? James 2:10-12.

ILLUMINATION:

"We are now living in the great day of atonement. In

the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Is-

rael, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humili-

ation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like

manner, all who would have their names retained in the book of life should

now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before

God by sorrow for sin and true repentance. . . . Though all nations are to

pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individ-

ual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being

upon the earth. Everyone must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle

or any such thing."—

The Great Controversy,

pp. 489, 490.

III. THE REMNANT PROCLAIMS SALVATION THROUGH

CHRIST.

At the heart of the remnant message is "the everlasting gospel." God

always has had but one way of saving men and women—by faith in His gift

provided through Christ. The remnant people are to lift high the cross of

Christ that all may look and live. (See John 3:14-18.)

What clause in Revelation 14:7 indicates that a significant part of the

preaching of the "everlasting gospel" involves the keeping of the Sab-

bath?

How is the Sabbath linked with salvation through Christ? Heb. 4:1-

10.

Hebrews 4 ties the seventh-day Sabbath as a memorial of Christ's rest at

the end of Creation week into the keeping of the Sabbath as a memorial of

Christ's rest of redemption. Jesus completed the work of redemption on the

sixth day (see Luke 23:54) and rested in the tomb on the seventh-day Sab-

bath. (See Luke 23:56.) The Sabbath "is forever linked" with the rest of

completed redemption. (See

The Desire of Ages,

p. 769.)

In what way are the second and third angels' messages of Revelation

14:8-11-tied into the "everlasting gospel"?

The second angel announces the fall of Babylon. The new focus on the

.11

heavenly sanctuary calls in question the work of the little horn of Daniel 7

and 8. Babylon's focus on the earthly priestly system is judged and con-

demned by God. When first proclaimed, the first angel's message, with its

clear upward look, caused many to see beyond the human counterfeit system

on earth to the genuine ministry of humanity's only Priest in heaven. This

broke the grip of Babylon over many people.

The third angel points to the ultimate showdown between Christ and His

enemies at the Second Coming. The three messages thus set the stage for the

final battle in the cosmic controversy. The remnant people, or church, have a

mission to warn the world that Christ is engaged in pre-advent judgment,

which is soon to terminate. Then the Second Advent will take place.

IV. THE REMNANT HERALDS THE SECOND ADVENT.

The three angels' messages focus on one all-important object—preparing

people today for the second coming of Christ. Often we fail to relate Revela-

tion 14:6-12 as clearly as we should with the rest of the chapter. Notice that

there are three angels involved in the events that surround the Second Com-

ing. Notice also that there are two beings bearing sickles and two angels who

announce to them that the time has come to reap. The chart that follows

clarifies this relationship.

Contrast of

Harvesters

Christ with Crown

on His Head Carry-

ing a Sharp Sickle

"Another Angel" Carrying

a Sharp Sickle

What are they

doing?

Christ coming in the

clouds at His second

coming

Angel coming out of

temple for judgment

From where did

another angel

come?

Out of the temple

crying with a loud

voice to Christ

From the altar crying

with a loud voice to

angel with sharp sickle

What did the

angels invite

the harvesters

to do?

Thrust in the sickle

and reap the (grain)

harvest

Thrust in the sickle and

gather clusters of grapes

ready for the harvest

How did the

harvesters

respond?

Gathered ripened

good grain—the

righteous taken to

heaven

Gathered fully ripened

grapes for the winepress—

destruction of the wicked

During the investigative judgment of the righteous, which began in 1844,

the determination is made whose names will be retained in the Lamb's book

of life. These make up the ripened grain that Jesus harvests at the Second

Coming. Those whose names are not found in the book of life will be "cast

into the great winepress of the wrath of God" (Rev. 14:19; see also Rev.

20:15).

WED



ftriAgiAgY flF

Lesson

How will those who are recognized as God's "peculiar people" pre-

pare to participate in the "blessed hope?" What specifically will they do

and what will they avoid doing? What will those about them recognize

as characterizing their lives? Titus 2:11-14.

ILLUMINATION: "We are living in the most solemn period of this world's

history. The destiny of earth's teeming multitudes is about to be decided.

Our own future well-being and also the salvation of other souls depend upon

the course which we now pursue. We need to be guided by the Spirit of

truth. Every follower of Christ should earnestly inquire: 'Lord, what wilt

Thou have me to do?' We need to humble ourselves before the Lord, with

fasting and prayer, and to meditate much upon His word, especially upon the

scenes of the judgment. We should now seek a deep and living experience in

the things of God."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 601.

' In what way is the "patience of the saints" related to the coming of

the Lord? James 5:7, 8.

Recognizing that the harvest of the earth soon will be ripe, we must do our

part in sowing the gospel seed and bringing our lives into conformity to

God's will. Then we must wait in confident expectation of the coming har-

vest, when we will receive our reward.

V. THE REMNANT GIVES THE LOUD CRY.

What do the church and the world face just before Christ returns?

Dan. 12:1.

What keeps the remnant church from fearing this final great test?

Rev. 1:13, 20.

The remnant can take courage in the fact that truth has never been popular.

Jesus trod the winepress alone. (See Isa. 63:3.) On the cross He constituted

the true remnant of ancient Israel. In Him alone type met antitype. In Him

alone was the covenant fulfilled. In Him alone the purpose of the nation

reached its goal.

Just as He met the test of the cross, the last remnant will be enabled to

meet the final great day of trouble successfully as long as He abides in and

with them.

What last great call will the remnant bring to the world under the

power of the latter rain? Rev. 18:1-4.

The remnant people function as a prophetic gathering movement. God has

impa

true believers scattered throughout the world, members of many denomina-

tions and religions. Under the pressure of last-day events, however, as the

issues in the conflict between Christ and Satan emerge more clearly and the

lines between the followers of each side become drawn more sharply, the

remnant becomes the nucleus around which cluster the genuine people of

God in all lands.

What characterizes the "loud cry?"

The "loud cry" is not so much a description of a worldwide proclamation

as it is a description of a worldwide demonstration of Christ's life through

His remnant people. (See

The Great Controversy,

pp. 611, 612.)

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

What connection do you see

between the three angels' messages in Revelation 14:6-12 and the righteous-

ness by faith message of Romans 2:13; 3:20-24, 31; 8:9, 10; 10:6-10?

Read the chapter entitled "The Scriptures a Safeguard" in

The Great Con-

troversy,

pp. 593-602.

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

No other people in history have preached the

three angels' messages as definitely, widely, and unitedly as have Seventh-

day Adventists. Although some organizations have preached parts of these

messages, none has ever had the comprehensive understanding of Revela-

tion 14:6-12 possessed among Seventh-day Adventists. This fact must not

be a source of pride. It should arouse us to a sense of the great responsibility

that God has laid upon us to proclaim His last messages to a perishing world.

"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required"

(Luke 12:48).

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

The first angel's

message should be presented as the great gospel message of salvation by

faith in Christ. It is the "everlasting gospel" (Rev. 14:6). The judgment and

Sabbath messages are inseparable parts of this gospel (see verse 7). The

second and third messages (see verses 8-12) are fearful warnings to those

who have rejected the previous messages. The aim in presenting the second

and third messages should always be to lead souls to the experience de-

scribed in the first message. In this way Christ and His saving grace will

always be central in the presentation of these vital messages.

SUMMARY:

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the remnant church faith-

fully observes all of God's commandments. By faith in Jesus Christ, they

seek to conform to all the counsels of the Holy Spirit. They take seriously

the commission to proclaim the last-day gospel to the world. This gospel is a

repetition of the message of Christ and the apostles with special emphasis

upon the three angels' messages of Revelation chapter 14.

APPLICATION

Have you accepted the spiritual experience offered in the first angel's

message?

What practical steps are you taking to unite your voice with others in

presenting the three angels' messages to others?

Adult Lesson



Se s tember 1$-'Q

God Urges Us to Unite

MEMORY TEXT: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for

brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).

73"

CENTRAL TEACHING: "Unity in the Body of Christ.

The church is

one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue;

and people. In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture,

learning, and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and

poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us. We are all equal- n

Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and

with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reserva-

tion. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures we share the

same faith and hope, and reach out in one witness to all. This unity has its

source in the oneness of the triune God, who has adopted us as His

children. "—Fundamental Belief No. 13.

OUTLINE:

I. Unity Based on Commitment to Christ.

H. Unity in Doctrine.

III.

Unity in Character.

IV.

How Church Unity Is Destroyed.

Unity before Jesus Comes.

INTRODUCTION:

To what extent does God wish to have unity within His

church on earth, and what kind of unity is he concerned about?

Some writers throughout Christian church history have proposed that it is

sufficient to have a kind of external unity based on authoritarian administra-

tive control over the church. They have suggested that there would be ade-

quate unity if everyone would give loyalty to the individual or individuals

appointed to rule the church. Does the Bible indicate that this is the kind of

unity that Christ wants among believers?

Others look for a unity of love and tolerance among Christians, despite

marked differences of doctrinal belief. They urge that a unity of love should

be possible even among those who hold contradictory interpretations of

what Jesus and the apostles taught. Does Christian church history indicate

that unity of this kind is practicable?

Other Christian thinkers have spoken as if doctrinal unity is all that mat-

ters. Christian love is treated as less important than doctrinal agreement.

What kind of unity and cooperation does Christ wish to see in His church?

In the Bible alone can we discover God's answer.

I. UNITY BASED ON COMMITMENT TO CHRIST.

The first condition to unity within the church is that all its members are

born-again Christians who have Christ in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

What is the basis of the unity that Christ seeks for His church? Rom.

12:3-5, 9, 10.

Where there is mutual love and understanding there is unity. Love is

based on respect. We cannot respect others if we have an exaggerated idea

of our own importance. Paul speaks to the real issue when he urges that no

one should think more of himself than is reasonable, and that Christians

should show preference for others.

The steps to unity are:



4 Unity



3 Love produces tolerance and understanding



2. Respect results in love

1. Humility encourages respect for others

Unity begins in the heart of the individual believer. If Christ is reigning in

the life the Christian will be a humble, loving person. If Christ is not reign-

ing there self will be dominant. There will not be appreciation for and agree-

ment with brethren and sisters.

When Christians are totally committed to Christ, what is their atti-

tude to national and racial differences? Acts 17:26, 27; Gal. 3:27, 28;

Eph. 2:14.

All those who are in Christ have the same Father, Saviour, and Holy

Spirit ruling in their lives. They yearn to see every human being become a

brother or a sister in Christ. Jesus would have died for any person,

irrespective of race, nationality, education, or economic standing. None of

these differences form a basis for excluding any willing human being from

accepting full fellowship in Christ's church.

ILLUMINATION:

"No distinction on account of nationality, race, or

caste, is recognized by God. He is the Maker of all mankind. All men are of

one family by creation, and all are one through redemption. Christ came to

demolish every wall of partition, to throw open every compartment of the

temple, that every soul may have free access to God. His love is so broad, so

deep, so full, that it penetrates everywhere. . . .

"In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free. All are brought

nigh by His precious blood. (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:13.).

"—Christ's Object

Lessons,

p. 386.

Who produces the unity in Christ that believers should enjoy? Eph.

4:1-6; 1 Cor. 12:12-17.

There are issues, that are not matters of Bible principle, on which there



gGraaday

Pf3

Lesson

will be disagreement among us. Some differences are questions of taste or

culture. But never should these legitimate differences be allowed to destroy

our loving relationship with Christ and one another. Christ's attitudes, life,

and conduct provide the pattern for our attitudes and actions.

II. UNITY IN DOCTRINE.

Would there be a Christian church if there were no unity in doctrinal

beliefs? If one person believes in the full deity of Christ and His eternal pre-

existence, while another person does not so believe, are they worshiping the

same Saviour? Christian church history has established that a church can

survive as long as its members are agreed on important doctrinal issues.

They may disagree on minor or peripheral matters, but on the basics of the

faith there must be unity.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What light do the following Bible passages

shed on the question of doctrinal unity?

1 Cor. 1:10



Gal. 1:6-8



Eph. 4:14, 15



Phil. 1:27



1 Tim 1



1 Peter 3



The divisions within the Corinthian church in the time of the apostle Paul

centered on more than matters of Christian practice. They involved variant

teachings—doctrinal differences. Paul urged the kind of unity that comes

only as each individual accepts the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.

ILLUMINATION:

"But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain

the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of

all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the

creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as

are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one

nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of

religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand

a plain 'Thus saith the Lord' in its support.

"Satan is constantly endeavoring to attract attention to man in the place of

God. He leads the people to look to bishops, to pastors, to professors of

theology, as their guides, instead of searching the Scriptures to learn their

duty for themselves. Then, by controlling the minds of these leaders, he can

influence the multitudes according to his will.

"—The Great Controversy,

p. 595.

"If one man takes his views of Bible truth without regard to the opinions

of his brethren, and justifies his course, alleging that he has a right to his

own peculiar views, and then presses them upon others, how can he be

fulfilling the prayer of Christ?

"And if another and still another arises, each asserting his right to believe

and talk what he pleases without reference to the faith of the body, where

will be that harmony which existed between Christ and His Father, and

which Christ prayed might exist among His

brethren?"—Testimonies to

Ministers,

pp. 29, 30.

Who brings believers into unity of doctrinal understanding? With

what will the teaching always be consistent? John 16:13; 14:26; 2 Tim.

3:14-17.

Unity of belief comes from the Word of God as interpreted by the Spirit

Himself. Any teaching that contradicts the Bible is not of God, and not

profitable for doctrine. Because the Holy Spirit inspired the messages of the

Bible in the first place (see 2 Peter 1:20, 21), He will never contradict His

own messages.

Who is the center of all Scriptural teaching? John 5:39; Luke 24: 27,

44.

ILLUMINATION:

"Never should a sermon be preached, or Bible instruc-

tion in any line be given, without pointing the hearers to 'the Lamb of God,

which taketh away the sin of the world.' John 1:29. Every true doctrine

makes Christ the center, every precept receives force from His words."—

Testimonies,

vol. 6, p. 54.

III. UNITY IN CHARACTER.

How did Jesus emphasize His wish that His people be united in love

and character? John 17:21-23.

The character that Jesus wishes each of His followers to possess is based

on their oneness with God. The glory that He gives to the believer is the

glory of His character. There can be unity within the church only as each

member reflects the character of Jesus.

What ideal of character development is upheld before Christians?

Eph. 4:11-13; Col. 3:10-15.

In his Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul associates "the unity of the faith"

with "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Christlikeness in

all is the basis of unity among all. In the Epistle to the Colossians, the

"image" of Christ "in all" is presented as the source of unity among Chris-

tians who have differing cultural backgrounds.

What does individual holiness of life have to do with unity within the

church? Heb. 12:14, 15.

ILLUMINATION:

"Holiness is wholeness to God. The soul is surren-

dered to God. The will, and even the thoughts, are brought into subjection to

the will of Christ. The love of Jesus fills the soul, and is constantly going out

in a clear, refreshing stream, to make glad the hearts of others."—Ellen G.

White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

vol. 6, p. 1076.

IV. HOW CHURCH UNITY IS DESTROYED.

The devil is a much greater authority on the subject of disunity than any of

us. The Bible unmasks his evil designs and warns us of his activities.

What destroys unity in the church? In a word, the answer is sin. It was sin

that first disturbed the unity of heaven. Throughout history sin has been a

constant source of disunity among God's people.

What effect does pride have upon the body of believers? Prov. 28:25;

1 Cor. 4:18, 19; Rev. 3:17.

What is the effect on the church of persistence in sin by one or a few?

2 Peter 2:18; Jude 4, 11-13; Joshua 7:1.

ILLUMINATION:

"The Lord's people are to be one. There is to be no

separation in His work. . . . Satan will invent every device to separate those

whom God is seeking to make one. But the Lord will reveal Himself as a

God of judgment. We are working under the eyes of the heavenly host.

There is a divine Watcher among us, inspecting all that is planned and car-

ried on.

"—Testimonies,

vol. 8, p. 165.

"It is not the opposition of the world that most endangers the church of

Christ. It is the evil cherished in the hearts of believers that works their most

grievous disaster and most surely retards the progress of God's cause. There

is no surer way of weakening spirituality than by cherishing envy, suspi-

cion, faultfinding, and evil surmising. On the other hand, the strongest wit-

ness that God has sent His Son into the world is the existence of harmony

and union among men of varied dispositions who form His church. This

witness it is the privilege of the followers of Christ to bear. But in order to do

this, they must place themselves under Christ's command. Their characters

must be conformed to His character and their wills to His will.

"—The Acts

of the Apostles,

p. 549.

What problems were destroying the unity of the Corinthian church of

Paul's day? 1 Cor. 1:12, 13; 3:1-5; 5:1, 2; 6:1, 5-8.

When a group within the church unites to cause difficulties for the main

body of believers there is inevitable division and heartache within the

church. When the Gadarenes (KJV: "Gergesenes") united to resist the in-

fluence of Jesus in their territory they lost the richest blessing Heaven could

bestow upon them. (See Matt. 8:34.) Those Jews who rejected Christ and

the Christian message brought division and conflict around the Roman

world. Equally destructive were the efforts of those within the church who

taught false doctrine and strove to exalt themselves above others. (See Acts

15:1, 24; Gal. 2:4; 6:12.)

V. UNITY BEFORE JESUS COMES.

Bible prophets foresaw that before the second advent of Jesus the Chris-

tian church would enjoy unity and strength.

SEARCH AND LEARN: What kind of unity for spiritual Israel is pre-

dicted in the following passages?

Isa. 11:12, 13; 52



Jer. 50



John 10:16



Rev. 18:4, 5



The Old Testament prophets foresaw that God's people would come to-

gether again in a unity of love and devotion to the Lord. Because literal

Israel failed to fulfill the divine purpose, these predictions now refer to the

Christian church. (See Rom. 9:8; Gal. 3:27-29.) The promises of the Old

Testament would have been fulfilled literally had Israel accepted the

Messiah. Now these promises apply to the true church of Jesus Christ

around the world.

Jesus will have a united church before He comes again. God will call out

of "Babylon" those who wish to be true to Him and who follow the coun-

sels of the Holy Spirit. Then God's people will be united in commitment to

Christ and to the teachings of the Bible.

FURTHER STUDY AND MEDITATION:

Read the chapters entitled

"Apollos at Corinth" and "Apostasy in Galatia" in

The Acts of the Apos-

tles,

pp. 269-280, 383-388. What similar and different problems existed in

the churches of Corinth and Galatia? What differences were there in Paul's

manner of dealing with the problems of these two churches?

WHAT OTHERS TEACH:

Some churches insist on unity imposed by au-

thoritarian church rulers. Others see no need for real doctrinal or character

unity as long as "love" exists among the members. This sarcalled love can

become an excuse for permissiveness. Such broad -tolerance fails to take

account of the specific teachings of Jesus.

711_7

[le on 02

Se • ternber

HOW TO SHARE THIS TRUTH WITH OTHERS:

The best testimony

for the world of the importance and effectiveness of unity is its existence

among those who profess to follow Christ. The local churches that have the

greatest success in winning souls to Christ are those whose members enjoy a

unity of Christian love and understanding. "They will know us by our love"

is a profound truth. Jesus prayed for the unity of love in His church, "that

the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21).

SUMMARY:

Write a few sentences stating your understanding of the Bible

teaching on church unity.

APPLICATION

Have I found unity of commitment and understanding with God's

people?

Do I have character faults that tend to undermine the unity of my

local church?

Am I willing to allow Christ to change my attitudes so that I can

work cooperatively with my church and witness effectively to those

about me?

"God

could

have

reached His

object in saving

sinners without our aid; but in

order for us to develop a

character like Christ's, we

must share in His work. In

order to enter into His joy,—

of seeing souls redeemed by

His sacrifice — we must par-

ticipate in His labors for their

redemption."

The Desire of Ages, p. 142.

Lessons for Fourth quarter

1988

Sabbath School members who have not received a copy of

the Adult Lessons for the fourth quarter of 1988 will be

helped by the following outline in studying the first two les-

sons. The title of this series is "Doctrines, Part II."

First Lesson

"GOD TELLS US ABOUT BAPTISM"

MEMORY TEXT: Romans 6:3, 4.

FUNDAMENTAL BELIEF NO. 14: Baptism.

OUTLINE:

What Baptism Is.

II.

What Baptism Does.

III.

What Baptism Symbolizes.

IV.

What Baptism Involves.

Second Lesson:

"GOD TELLS US ABOUT THE LORD'S SUPPER"

MEMORY TEXT: 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17.

FUNDAMENTAL BELIEF NO. 15: The Lord's Supper.

OUTLINE:

The Importance of Humble Service.

II.

The Ordinance of Humility.

III.

The Institution of the Lord's Supper.

IV.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Lessons in Braiiie:

The regular Adult Sabbath School Lessons are available free each month in Braille and

A rpm records to blind and physically handicapped persons who cannot read normal

ink print. This includes individuals who because of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, paralysis,

accident, old age, and so forth, cannot hold or focus on normal ink-print publications.

Contact the Christian Record Braille Foundation, Box 6097, Lincoln, NE 68506.

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14.745.840

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90.405

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15.106,583

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397

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Japan

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